Conquest Chronicles: Tales of Ransei
by Queen Nephthys
Summary: Pokemon Conquest! A series of oneshots that take place before, after, and during the events of the game. Pairings will be used. Chapter 5: She had arrived in Spectra for a night of entertainment and merriment, never with the intention of staying. But the seductive warlord of the kingdom has other plans in store for the young geisha.
1. She Who Holds the Power

Pokemon Conquest is now my OBSESSION! It has completely taken over all of my love for Yu-Gi-Oh! (with the exception of my OTP, Pleashipping, of course!) So, instead of waiting until I get through my long list of other fics to write, I'm diving right into this series of oneshots I came up with.

Not all of these will be for a specific pairing, but these are some of the major pairings you can expect to find within this fic:

Ginchiyo x Muneshige

Aya x Kanetsugu (They are without a doubt my Samurai Warriors OTP now!)

Yukimura x Ina

Onesided Yukimura x Kunoichi and Yukimura x Kai

Oichi x Male Hero (I call him Ryo. The female is his twin sister, Ryoko.)

Also, there will be a lot of brother/sister love with Aya and Kenshin, Nobunaga and Oichi, and the Male/Female heroes, because I just loved their interactions and overall relationship in Conquest! (Excluding male/female heroes, of course!)

T rating is only for the rare instances that I will incorproate violence, and a few suggestive scenes. There will be warnings above each chapter if applicable. If no warnings are present, that means there are no warnings for the chapter. Easy as that. Also, I will be accepting requests, but for those who do give requests, be aware that it may take me some time to get to your ideas, and that I may or may not use them depending on what I can come up with. I will not put requests for lemons in this, but if someone requests a lemon, I will make a seperate story with it.

that's all for now, and I hope you enjoy these as much as I enjoy Pokemon Conquest!

* * *

Ginchiyo sat outside the doorway to Violight Castle, sulking where no one would see her. Beside her, her faithful Pokemon, Luxio, was snoozing, most likely recovering from their latest battle, as well as their latest defeat.

A new warlord from the kingdom of Aurora and his sister had requested a battle with her. Initially she had thought that they and the rest of their army were nothing special, as most new warlords usually were. Nevertheless, at Muneshige's urging, she accepted their challenge, thinking she could at least stick it in Muneshige's face that she had been right all along. However, the opposite had occurred, and Aurora's warlord had taken she and her entire army out within what seemed like minutes, claiming Violight as theirs. As usual, Muneshige had been right, the bastard...

To add insult to injury, he had even accepted to join their army! He did it so freely and without hesitation, right in front of her. If she was to be truthful with herself, she _did_ feel a bit betrayed; Muneshige had been her junior warlord for years, after all. Now suddenly he goes off with these young, barely experienced warriors?!

Needless to say, she had not been as kind. She had accepted her defeat with dignity, passing over Violight as was necessary, and even admitted she was wrong in assuming they were beneath her. After she said her piece, however, she had left without another word. She remembered the boy from Aurora calling after her, but paid him no heed. She did not desire comfort, nor a request to join his army as well. All she desired was to leave.

She didn't even know where she would go. Her clan had been the leaders of Violight since its creation long ago. Her father had served as the kingdom's warlord, and his father before him, and his father before him, and so on down the line. They may not have always tried to conquest the other nations in hopes of finding the legendary Pokemon, but they had always been able to defend this kingdom against others who had such similar thoughts in mind. This meant that she had been the very first of them to fail, and knowing that made her feel so... so powerless.

"Surely, that is not Lady Ginchiyo I see wallowing in self-pity!" a voice behind her stated mockingly. It startled her, but only momentarily. She knew that voice anywhere! She quickly turned on Muneshige, who was leaning ever-so casually on the doorframe, a smug little smirk on his face, the kind that always irritated her to no end. Staravia was nowhere to be seen, but that didn't mean the flying Pokemon wasn't close by, flying around its master in the skies.

Ginchiyo scowled. "I am **not** 'wallowing in self-pity'!" she snapped at him, causing Luxio to stir next to her. "I came here to determine my next course of action! And what of you? Don't you have anything better to do than to get on my nerves."

Muneshige's smile only widened. "Typical child." he remarked with a shake of his head. "Ever in denial of your true feelings."

Ginchiyo turned her full attention to the handsome man now, her stance defensive. Luxio seemed confused by this sudden conflict, turning his head between his master and her junior warlord. "Stop calling me that!" she barked. "I am not a child by any standard. You and I are the same age!"

"Hm. Is that right?" he asked.

"Yes! We grew up together, imbecile, so I would know!" She noticed the playfulness in his eyes then, and realized what he was doing. Feeling very embarrassed that she allowed him to mess with her, she growled out, "Don't play with my mind, idiot.", before turning around and ignoring him.

She heard him chuckle from behind her. "But it's so easy." he stated, waiting for her to retaliate once more. After several seconds of no response though, he became worried. So he walked over and sat down next to her, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Do not become deterred by the events that transpired, Ginchiyo. You are still one of the most powerful warlords in Ransei."

Ginchiyo turned to him, her brows knit tightly together. "But what good is that if I am unable to defend my own kingdom?!" she said, her voice raised once more. "The Tachibana have held the position of Violight's warlords for generations, and just now I've broken years of honor and power!"

Muneshige raised a brow, not for the first time baffled by the woman's serious nature. The difference between he and Ginchiyo had always been as black and white as could be. But while she saw their personalities as endlessly conflicting powers, he viewed them as complimentary opposites. They worked with one another so well. She was the driving force behind their army, the one who was always telling him to work harder, to push himself beyond his limits. He was the one who could get her to loosen up from time to time, the one who would remind her that there was a woman beneath all that armor, and she didn't need to deny it. They both leaned on one another, even if Ginchiyo would never admit it. That was the real reason he was out here, actually. The wind may be blowing him towards these promising new warlords, but he also knew that Ginchiyo still needed him. He knew she would protest and brood for a while, but eventually he could bring her around, and she would accept to follow Aurora's warlord as well.

Truthfully, he still needed her as well, stubborn attitude and all.

"Is power really that important?" he asked her.

"It's the _only _thing that matters!" Ginchiyo exclaimed, rising to her feet. Muneshige didn't even try to hide the shock on his face from her sudden outburst. "Look around you, fool! Look at your new warlord, fresh from the battle which cost me my kingdom! Look to the north, at those warlords who have lost their kingdom to Nobunaga recently! Look all across Ransei, across the seventeen kingdoms, into the faces of every warrior. Look into their eyes, lusting after the Legendary Pokemon! We live in a world controlled by power. Whoever has the most power is the one who has the control. Those who have no power are cursed to live in the shadows of the strong. That is what the Tachibana have always stood for! We held the power, we commanded the masses. Without my power, I am _nothing_!"

Muneshige observed her through this moment of passion. He'd always admired her for her loyalty to her family, and her pride in her power as a female warlord. Even now, he could still see her eyes burning with emotions that were often not displayed. Her arms were shaking, and her jaw was clenched tight. She was glaring down at him, though not in anger. What was in her sharp brown eyes was a desire to connect with him, to have him understand exactly what she was feeling then, as she wasn't able to find the words or actions to tell him herself.

And that was why she needed him.

So he smiled up at her. "Then why do you deny Aurora's warlord? If you wish to become more powerful, then follow him on his path that you know leads to victory, to the ultimate power."

"Ultimate power for _him_!" she retorted. "Honestly, do not hear yourself talk?"

"He and his two companions are still young, still a bit ignorant to the ways of battle. If you could coach them on, I doubt there would be a thing we could not accomplish."

"Again, you speak of _their_ accomplishments! If you are trying to raise my spirits, you are doing a poor job of it!"

"Perhaps they will be able to find the Legendary Pokemon. Do you not wish to be a witness to such a glorious occasion?"

"Not if I witness it as his underling." she stated.

Muneshige sighed. "I always thought that power was a tad overrated, myself."

Ginchiyo scoffed. "You _would_!"

"However," Muneshige said, standing up next to the woman, "you have inspired me, my lady! I shall go inform lord Ryo of my decision immediately."

"And what decision is that?" she asked dryly.

Muneshige grinned. From up above then, Staravia flew down and landed on his Master's outstretched arm. "Five kingdoms is a hefty burden for even the most devoted of warlords to handle. Lord Ryo and Lady Ryoko shall need some help in this sense."

"You mean delegates?" Ginchiyo asked, eyes widened slightly. Well, it did make sense that he would think that. When Violight was in power of the neighboring nations a few years ago, she had Muneshige delegate for Greenleaf, seeing as he was friends with Motonari, and visited the kingdom regularly.

"Yes." he agreed.

"So you plan to delegate Greenleaf for them?" she asked.

"Actually, I thought that Violight would be more appropriate, seeing as they are not yet accustomed to the kingdom yet."

"N-now wait a minute!" Ginchiyo snaped, taking a step towards him. "You are planning on delegating _my_ kingdom?! By yourself?!"

"Well, it's not your kingdom anymore, is it?" he said, beginning to leisurely walk back inside the castle.

"What makes you think you are qualified for such a position?" she demanded.

"Well... I live here for one, and I did serve you as a junior warlord until only recently."

"You shall do no such thing! I forbid it!"

"Oh?" Muneshige hummed, turning back to her with a raised brow. "And what can you do to stop me?"

"I-I..." Ginchiyo stuttered. She honestly didn't know _what _she could do. There was no way in _hell_ she'd let Muneshige take over Violight, but since he was now a part of Aurora's army, there was nothing she could say or do to stop him. Well, _almost_ nothing.

_You bastard. You...__**bastard**_. She thought over and over in her head.

"I-it just so happens that I have made plans to join Lord Ryo so that I may continue to watch over my family's kingdom. Therefore, I cannot allow you to request delegation of this kingdom until I have had a word with him myself! Is that understood?"

Muneshige's smile told her everything. "Well... who am I to deny a lady's request." Ginghiyo sighed. She didn't know if this was a loss or defeat for her, and for once she didn't care. She stormed towards Muneshige, who gave a slight bow, while Staravia continued to roost on his arm, looking just as smug as his master.

"After you, _mademoiselle_." he drawled. She stuck her nose up in response.

"Oh, knock it off!" she said, though she allowed a slight blush to go over her cheeks. "And once I have Violight back in my control, I expect you to return to your training immediately. Twenty laps around the castle, and no shortcuts!"

Muneshige sighed, but the smile never left his face. "As you wish."

She wouldn't admit it, but hearing Muneshige oblige to her without protest made her feel a bit stronger again. He still didn't have to obey any of her commands. Actually, unless Violight ever returned to her full control, he would never have to obey her orders again. The fact that he still held her words in high regard, it made her realize that she would always have power over him, if nothing else. She was sure that was something that no one else could boast. The thought made her smile, but she quickly let it pass as he came up next to her, the two now walking side by side. She looked up on impulse, and realized that he was smiling at her. She scowled.

"Wipe that stupid smile off your face!" she demanded.

"Whatever you say, Ginchiyo." He said, though the smile never left his face. It was good to know that he would always have power over her, as well.

* * *

This was my interpretation of what might have happened after you take over Violight in the game, since Ginchiyo seemed to be the sore loser type. It occurred to me that she may not have been as accepting of her loss as she let on, and only relinquished her castle out of obligation and the dignity of her clan, rather than because she genuinely believed that the hero deserved it. I always get Muneshige right away in the game, so I figured he would join the hero without much protest, just to get on Ginchiyo's nerves. And you got to admit, the two of them have really good chemistry, even if they aren't married in this game.

I'm thinking of doing an Aya x Kanetsugu next, but as Muneshige would say, I'm just gonna go wherever the wind takes me!

R&R at your leisure.


	2. Books

Ok, turns out that when I said I'd be doing an AyaxKanetsugu next, I was lying. Half-lying. I have a story for them all typed up and ready to go, but then I thought up another story for Ginchiyo and Muneshige that I thought was _really_ cute and I needed to write it immediately, so I did. Motonari is in this one as well, because I was researching the characters' Samurai Warriors counterparts, and I came across a scene on youtube from Samurai Warriors 3 with these three characters in it that I thought was sooo cool, where Motonari is requesting the help of the Tachibana clan, so this is more or less a tribute to that scene. I hope you enjoy it!

* * *

This...was..._insufferable_! How anyone could possibly sit still for this long in perfect silence, Ginchiyo would never know. She didn't even know _why_ she came along, they never did anything other than read all day. Oh, but she _had _to go along with Muneshige to make sure he wouldn't decide to take a detour on his way back to get out of his assignments, like he did last time, and the time before that. It had gotten to the point that she had become so frustrated with his absence that she had forgotten the reason she never went to Greenleaf to begin with.

This was only the second time she had ever been here with Muneshige. The other time she had come, all he and Lord Motonari had done was have very brief discussions, catch up with one another, and then they would sit down and they'd do the most boring thing in creation: _read_!

Ginchiyo absolutely hated books! People always spoke of the things you could learn from reading, and how much more intelligent and interesting reading books made you, but she had never seen the fascination. She could count the number of books she had read in her life on one finger, and it was dry, boring, and had taken up valuable time that she could put to more practical purposes, like training, or grooming Luxio.

Speaking of which, their Pokemon were outside in the garden, enjoying playing with each other rather than fighting for once. Ginchiyo looked on from inside the study, feeling a bit envious. To be able to switch bodies with Luxio right now...

"Don't look so put out, Ginchiyo." Muneshige said suddenly, drawing her back into the dull, dull human world of literature. "You could stand to add some culture to your personality."

Ginchiyo growled, turning on him. "I hardly see what good _that_ could do me on the battlefield." she protested.

Motonari chose to stay out of their little dispute, but allowed a smile. Ginchiyo always made things so interesting.

Muneshige sighed. "I'm sorry about her; she's just suffering from some battlefield sickness." he joked.

Ginchiyo stuck up her nose a bit. "Don't speak for me, you imbecile!" she said. "And should I remind you that the only reason I'm here now is because you never remember how to get back to Violight whenever you come here by yourself. Then I have to go find you, wherever you wandered off to , and bring you back. This saves me time."

"Mm. Is that so?" Muneshige asked. "I apologize then for the trouble, but the wind just takes me wherever it pleases."

"Then you give the wind directions to Violight, because this is the _absolute last_ time I'm coming with you here, and the last time I'm bringing you back myself." she promised, praying that she would have the willpower to keep her word in the future.

Motonari laughed. "As I recall, Lady Ginchiyo, that was exactly what you said the last time you were here. So do I take it that you shall change your mind again?"

The woman flared. "Don't contradict me." she groaned, resting her head in her hand. "I'm hardly in the mood."

"Now, now, my lady. Lord Motonari is being a superior host to us." Muneshige chided. "Surely you can show some manners."

"Be that as it may, Muneshige." Motonari said, setting the book he was currently reading aside and getting to his feet. "As a host, it is my responsibility to tend to my guests." The grass-Pokemon warrior turned to Ginchiyo. "If you're looking for a battle, Ginchiyo, I would be willing to oblige. I can't seem to recall the last time we had a decent sparring match. It will be good to get some exercise."

"Excellent." Ginchiyo agreed eagerly, getting to her feet as well. "Then let's take this outside." She looked at the Pokemon. "Luxio!" she called, catching her partner's attention immediately. "Come, we are to do battle with Lord Motonari and Servine!" Motonari's Servine heard this as well, and began heading towards her Master along with Luxio.

"Actually, Lady Ginchiyo, the Pokemon are not necessary. This will be only a one-on-one battle between you and I."

Ginchiyo nodded. "Your kingdom, your rules." she said simply, drawing her sword. "Lead the way to the battlefield, then."

"Are you sure you want to do this, Motonari?" Muneshige asked, standing.

Motonari nodded and smiled. "Don't worry, even without Servine, I can hold my own pretty well."

"Too bad 'pretty well' won't be enough to guarantee you a victory against me." Their female companion stated, already in full battle-mode.

Motonari smiled. "We shall see, won't we?"

~Q.N~

They entered the battlefield and took to opposite ends. Muneshige sat on the sidelines with the Pokemon, a bemused smile on his face. Both warriors had their swords drawn, and their stances prepared for battle. Ginchiyo looked dead serious about winning. Her opponent, on the other hand looked as calm as could be, as though he was still back reading his books.

"Are you ready to begin, Motonari?!" Ginchiyo shouted.

"I believe the challenger is the first to move." Motonari stated. "I expect nothing less than a challenge, Ginchiyo."

Muneshige smirked. "Good luck, my lovely heroine!" He called. Ginchiyo's face instantly flushed and she turned her serrated blade towards her junior warlord.

"Sh-shut up, fool!" she retorted before turning back to Motonari. "Now, let's go!" And she took off down the battlefield, quick as lightning. Motonari held his position, seeming to have no interest in avoiding her.

Ginchiyo scoffed. "It won't be much of a battle if you just stand there!" She swung her blade around to make contact with his arm, but at the last second possible, he avoided her blade with speed matching her own. Before she could react, he had gotten behind her and pressed the side of his weapon to her back. But rather than feel the blade go into her armor, she felt a distinct pain in her legs, causing them to give out on her. She instantly collapsed to the grassy floor of the battlefield, Motonari's sword pinning her body to the ground.

"Oh, it appears that I've won." he stated nonchalantly. Then he smiled. "Good thing we weren't competing for control of our castles, huh?"

From on the ground, Ginchiyo's face was contorted in shock. Did Motonari just take her down in less than ten seconds?! How was that even possible?! "What did you-?" she muttered.

"Well, that was certainly fun, but I think that we should head back inside now, don't you?" he said, removing his sword from across Ginchiyo's body.

"Not so fast!" Ginchiyo yelled, getting to her knees, her hands in fists. "I want a rematch, right now. Obviously that was a fluke!"

"You sure your legs will agree with that?" Motonari asked, raising a brow. Ginchiyo scowled at this remark and pushed herself up. Her legs were fine now, showing no indication that anything was wrong at all.

"I'm fine." she said. "You won't get out of this that easily.

Motonari sighed. "Well, if you _really_ want to..." he exhaled. "Alright then, once more wouldn't hurt. Back to your position..."

"Forget about the formalities for now!" she spat. "Let's just go!"

"Very well. How about I make the first move this time."

Ginchiyo smirked. "Very well, let's see what you can do." she had the upper hand now that he was on the offensive. He wouldn't be able to use the same trick on her twice!

"Alright, then. Begin." As he said this, Motonari dashed at Ginchiyo, and their swords clashed, before she pulled away and brought her lightening blade down again. The same incident repeated itself, however. Ginchiyo's legs gave out from under her when Motonari pressed his sword to her back, and she fell to the ground, with her opponent successfully pinning her to the ground and claiming victory again.

"Rematch! Now!" Ginchiyo barely got out with her face in the dirt.

So they had three more battles, at Ginchiyo's... er..._demand_, all resulting in her utmost defeat. Each time he would pull off the same trick, resulting in her legs giving out. How this was happening, she didn't know, but she was determined to find out. But Motonari moved much too fast to follow his movements, even with her own impressive speed. So after defeat #5, she was forced to begrudgingly accept that she wouldn't find the answers that she was looking for this was.

"Another rematch?" Motonari asked. "I don't quite know if I've the energy left in me, but if it pleases you, I'm willing to accept."

Ginchiyo shook her head. "No, I'm done for now. even I know when to accept defeat." She got up, still panting, and rested her hands on her knees. Glancing down at her legs, she saw that they were intact, though they felt like they would fall off any minute. "For what it's worth, Motonari, I'm impressed. Where did you learn such a technique?"

"Hm? Well..." he began, resting his chin in his hand in thought. "let's see...I know I read about that move in my library _somewhere_...but what book it was I can't seem to recall."

Ginchiyo flinched. "Be serious, Lord Motonari! I _must_ learn that technique for myself! Don't you hold out on me."

Motonari shook his head. "Sorry, Lady Ginchiyo, but I can't remember. If I were to maybe..."

"_Fine_, then! I shall find it myself! I don't need you to hand it to me!" saying that, she turned on her heels and marched back to the castle library, determined to find what she was looking for.

When she got back inside, she scanned the seemingly countless bookshelves until her eyes caught sight of one titled Skills of the Sword.

"That's a good a place as any to begin." she mused, taking it off the shelf and turning through the pages quickly, not even bothering to look up at the word, 'fictional pieces' carved into the top of the shelf.

~Q.N~

The next morning at dawn, Muneshige walked into Greenleaf castle's library, stifling a yawn.

"Ginchiyo?" he questioned, his voice still deep with sleep. "You still in here?"

"Don't bother me!" the woman snapped from behind a wall of books of different varieties and sizes. Muneshige, in spite of his still sleep-dazed mind, was able to read some of the titles of the books hiding his superior from him, noticing everything from fictional works to atlases and autobiographies. Motonari was not going to be happy about his works being out of place.

He noticed a gap in between the fortress of novels and poked his head through, able to make out Ginchiyo slouched over figure in the center.

"Hey, Ginchiyo; shouldn't we be heading back to Violight now?" he asked.

Instantly, Ginchiyo turned on him. Her eyes were bloodshot with dark circles under them from staying up all night. The candle in her hand left shadows over her face, making her look almost skeletal. Her teeth were bared and she was the spitting image of pissed off. Muneshige cried and recoiled at the sight. Ginchiyo glowered and shook her hand, at him, which held a thick bound book in it.

"_QUIET_, Muneshige!" she growled. "Can't you see that I'm reading?!"

Muneshige's mouth literally hit the floor. "GINCHIYO'S BEEN POSSESSED BY SOME EVIL SPIRIT!" he shrieked, clamoring out of the room. When he got out into the corridor, he rested against the wall and gasped for breath. Motonari walked past him, looking surprised by the usually suave warlord's near hysteria.

"You look as though you've seen a ghost." he said. "Is Lady No present?"

Muneshige shook his head before calming down. "I think Ginchiyo has been possessed." he explained. "Though I'm not sure if it's an improvement or not."

Motonari laughed at that. "Perhaps you should take a detour back to Violight, after all." He said. "You may need Lady Okuni's help in exorcizing the spirit that got into Lady Ginchiyo. " after another light laugh, he turned serious again. "Don't worry, she'll be back to normal once she realizes that trick was all an illusion." He looked down at his armor clad legs, watching two sharp blades extend from them.

Muneshige looked as well and sighed. "She'll be furious when she finds out the truth, and she'll blame me, no doubt about it."

Motonari's smile softened. "Then I apologize in advance, my friend." he replied. "But who knows? Maybe she'll come out of this with a little more appreciation for literature. Anything is possible, after all."

Muneshige nodded, and turned back to the library, hearing the sound of toppling books and a wide array of curses one should never have to hear from a lady's mouth. He laughed in good humor.

"I'm afraid that Ginchiyo will always be Ginchiyo, no matter how much you coax her." he said. "With that in mind, I think I _will _take that detour back home, after all. I have a feeling Ginchiyo, in spite of herself, will be occupied for a long while."

And so he did, only to return to his Lady's sharp tongue and harsh punishment two weeks later.

* * *

Ha! Muneshige had a freakout moment! Those are so very rare with him, so I appreciate that that came to me. Yeah, Ginchiyo hates books. In that scene on youtube I mentioned earlier, she completely bashes into Motonari for his interest in history and literature. Poor, cute Motonari!

Anyways, if anyone wants fanart for any of these chapters, somehow get in touch with me and I'll post your request on my deviantART account.

Ok! The next one will DEFINITELY be for Aya and Kanetsugu! Cross my heart and hope to...negotiate strenuously! Haha, if anyone gets that reference, you get a cookie!

R&R at your leisure!


	3. Getting Old

Alrighty, then! Now as promised, here is the AyaxKanetsugu I was hoping to put on here before I got the idea for a new one for Ginchiyo. Some things I'd like to point out before people go into this, in this story, I portray Kanetsugu as Aya's former apprentice, because she kind of is his mentor in Samurai Warriors 3, and I'm trying to be true to that game because it's literally where I'm getting all my ideas for how these characters are supposed to act, since there isn't much character development in Conquest. He is mentored under Kenshin after he completes his training with Aya, though he still follows his former teacher's practices much more than Kenshin's.

I don't know why, but I've become so attracted to the AyaxKanetsugu pairing lately. When I first began the game, I was all about GinchiyoxMuneshige, and I still am (as you probably can tell), but now they take a backseat to Kenshin's retainers. Maybe it's because I fell in love with Aya's character, and I wanted her to have a love interest, but really one day it came into my head and I just thought, "Yeah, that could totally work!"

So, without further ado, here is chapter 3.

This is my love for you!

* * *

"...Alright. That completes your training for the day, my boy. Excellent work." Aya praised her student.

At that moment, however, Kanetsugu could care less, for he had collapsed on the ground besides his partner, Kadabra, both worn out and exhausted from the day's training. Lady Aya may seem innocent and harmless on the outside, but she was no less the fierce, powerful warlord that Lord Kenshin was. Her training sessions with him would last for hours at a time, leaving no room for rest, but the young man could care less. If her training and lessons could make him into a warrior able to fight alongside Lord Kenshin, he would do any amount of arduous labor for his goal. But that didn't stop him from passing out every day once their training had come to an end.

"Thank...you...Lady...Aya...!" he wheezed on the ground, looking up at his stunning teacher. She smiled warmly down at him.

"It seems our training has taken much out of you; how do you feel?"

"...dead." he replied simply. Aya giggled.

"Well, I don't think you are quite there yet. In fact, I'd say you have just enough energy to escort me back to the castle."

"It is...my pleasure..." He continued to pant. Slowly he struggled up to his knees, and from there managed to get to his feet with Kadabra's help.

"Good." Aya said. "Then let us make haste; Kenshin will be awaiting our return."

"Uhhhh~!" was all he could manage, and began to drag his feet alongside Aya's refined gait.

"Use your words, Kenetsugu. How else will people know what you want to tell them?"

~Q.N~

By the time they returned to Illusio's castle, the sun was just beginning to descend into the earth in preparation for the evening. The second they entered through the main doors, Kanetsugu once again passed out, realizing much too late that the hard stone floors would not absorb the impact of his fall as well as dirt and grass had. He groaned and, in spite of the soreness in every fiber of his body, found the strength to bring his hand up to his now throbbing head. Aya looked down at the poor boy and smiled affectionately.

" I see your stamina has improved as well. Last week you couldn't even make it half-way back to Illusio, much less the castle." she stated.

"Gu~uuuh!" Was all he was able to get out in reply.

Aya shook her head. "But you still need to work on that bad grammar of yours." she chided. "Oh, well. We'll worry about that another day. For now, I think you deserve a reward for all the hard work you've been doing lately."

Kanetsugu ignored the pain in his neck long enough to look up at Aya, his interest peaked. "Reward?" he asked.

Aya smiled. "But of course. Do you not think you deserve it?"

He shook his head. "No, I...I mean, yes!...no, ah...what is it?" he stumbled over his words.

She giggled, and outstretched her hand to him. "Come on." she said. "Escort me a little further."

The aches in his body vanished for a moment, and his eyes flicked between his teacher's outstretched hand and her warm, earnest smile. Fueled by curiosity and his desire to humor the woman in front of him, he mustered what strength he had left, and lifted himself off the ground with Aya's help. She nodded, and walked down the corridors of her brother's castle, taking a route she knew was the quickest to their destination, for Kanetsugu's sake. Speaking of the young man, she looked down and noticed that he had not let go of her hand since they began walking. Or was it she who had not let go of his hand? Regardless, she still smiled. Kanetsugu may no longer technically be her student, but sometimes she still saw the young boy that had come to her asking to be enlisted in Kenshin's army ten years ago, who said that he would do anything to fight in the name of honor alongside her brother. The smile slowly faded. Had it really been ten years? Ten years ago she had just turned 30. Was she really that old? Could Kanetsugu still be considered a boy, even compared to her? He'd certainly always be a boy to her, the only apprentice she ever had that she felt genuine love and adoration for. Sometimes she thought it was because he reminded her so much of her dear brother, but she knew better. It was the things that _didn't_ remind her of Kenshin that she truly took notice of, the things that made Kanetsugu Kanetsugu. The things that none of her other apprentices had ever displayed. The reason that she continued to keep him under her wing even though he no longer answered to her.

They stopped in front of her room, and she opened the doors. "Sit down." she requested, gesturing towards the seat on the floor. He knew the seat well; he always sat there whenever he came to her room, whether he wanted to talk to her or she wanted to talk to him. She would always take the seat next to him. Though this time she wandered over to a chest next to her futon, and opened it, looking for what he assumed was the 'reward' she wanted to give him. She pulled out a mirror and a hair band. Kanetsugu narrowed his eyes, trying to understand what she meant to do. He was used to Aya's cryptic riddles and metaphors, but never had he been able to figure a one of them out until she explained them to him. Still, he always tried, in the hopes that he could figure out the riddle, see past the smoke and mirror routines. He knew that if he ever succeeded, that would make her proud.

"Is my reward the mirror?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. She chuckled.

"If you really want it, I'm sure I could find another one. But for now you can use this," she knelt down and handed him the band and a few hairpins before turning around so that her back was to him. "to keep my hair up. And then you can rub my shoulders for me. Our training today made them stiff."

Kanetsugu's face dropped. " Are you serious, my lady?" he asked, half-expecting her to be playing a prank on him.

Aya looked over her shoulder. "Yes, I fear that I may have pulled something. Do you mind, Kanetsugu?"

He felt some guilt pull at his heart at the sweet tone of her voice, especially the way she said his name. how could he ever say no to her? Especially after all she had done for him in the past. He sighed, but proceeded to help her take off her hooded robe and began to run his hands through her hair. Before he pulled all the strands back, Aya caught the sunlight playing at some of the strands over her face. Though barely noticeable, her practiced eyes could still make out that some parts of her hair were lighter than the rest. _Much_ lighter, actually, almost gray.

_Gray_.

She grabbed the mirror next to her side and lifted it to her face, scanning for any more telltale signs. She found them, lingering around her eyes, once more almost invisible, but Aya saw them clearly. They bothered her, yet why she did not know. She accepted that she was not as young as she used to be, and was proud, in fact, to say that she was one of Ransei's oldest female warlords alive. She served as a role model of sorts to the others, those who did not hate her, at least. At this thought, the face of another student of hers flashed through her mind, but she quickly expelled the girl, who now was perhaps one of the most beautiful women in Ransei, from her head. The thought of her brought nothing but bad memories, and even worse the mocking voice that said that age was nothing to be proud of, and that only the young could have honor. Only the beautiful could have love.

Once long ago, she had been heralded as Ransei's greatest beauty. The men who were now this land's veteran warlords, twenty years ago had been her admirers, doting on her, courting her. Occasionally now they still flirted with her, and Aya appreciated it from time to time, but it was only banter now, rather than the adoration she had known in her youth. She knew this and she appreciated their kindness, but sometimes she longed for those days when she had flowers at her doorstep and men turning heads for her. Even Kenshin had once been the jealous, overprotective brother, chasing off all her suitors and admirers. But the dragon no longer kept his princess locked in a tower. If any men came to her, he let then pass without even a glance up at them, not questioning their business with her, not threatening them with blades and psycho cuts from Gallade.

And what if the world did have no place for her now, in her old age? What if she was buried long before her time? By her friends, by her enemies.

By Kenshin.

By Kanetsugu...

The young man could feel her fidgeting as he put her hair up in a bun. That wasn't normal for her. Fidgeting was improper, and he knew this from the lifetime's worth of smacks and kicks he had received from her for doing just that during her lessons.

"My Lady, are you alright?" he asked.

His voice brought her back to reality with a quiet gasp, and she shook her head despondently, her lips turned up in a bittersweet smile. "Just looking back on my past." she answered honestly, her voice wearing a mask of cheer. "That's the thing about our reflections: they cause us to reflect."

Kanetsugu chuckled. "You speak like an old woman, My Lady." he noted as he started on her shoulders, letting his hands work them the way she had taught him.

Aya raised an eyebrow at this. "Do I, now?" she asked. "And just how old do you think I am, Kanetsugu?"

Kanetsugu stopped his work. He laughed again, rubbing the back of his head. "Have I offended you, My Lady?" he asked.

She smiled and shook her head. "No, not at all. But I would like to know where I stand in your mind."

He shrugged, and continued on her shoulders. "Well...ah, twenty-five? Perhaps thirty?" he guessed. "But surely no older."

Aya laughed. He could be so charming at times. "You are _much_ too kind." she responded. "There is a four year age difference between Kenshin and I."

"So, if Master Kenshin is thirty-six, that would make you thirty-two?"

She shook her head, looking very amused. "What do you mean thirty-two? I am Kenshin's older sister."

This was apparently news to Kanetsugu, bacause the look of wtf on his face was more than tangible. _No way!__** She's**__ the older sibling?!_ he thought, comparing the brother and sister in his head, _B-but, Aya looks __**years**__ younger than Lord Kenshin!_

Aya turned to her student's flabbergasted expression, almost able to see the smoke coming out of his brain. She giggled. "You mean no one ever told you?"

"N-no. I-I don't think so." he admitted. "But... you look so much younger."

Aya smiled. "I've led a relatively stress-free life." she said simply.

_So there's a fourteen-year age difference between us._ he mused, calming down from his initial shock. This fact disappointed him a bit. It was bad enough that he was her student, but to have an age gap that wide between them... He sighed. So he really did have no chance with her, then. She would surely be interested in a man her own age. He thought of some of the veteran Warlords he knew of, and grimaced. Ok, maybe she _wasn't_ interested in any of them, either, but most definitely not him.

"Did you... really think that we were the same age?" she asked him suddenly.

He was unable to place her tone. It sounded somewhere between hopeful, and mocking, two emotions that rarely crossed with one another. "Well..." he began carefully. "I knew you were older than me, just by the way you carry yourself. But I always assumed that the difference was..."

"Slight." she finished for him. "And how do you feel now that you know the truth?"

That time her voice was easy to interpret, and the truth struck him like lightning. Was she really... ashamed? Of her age?

"...Not much different." He answered. And it was the truth. He was already aware of _an_ age difference between them, he just didn't know how great it was 'til now. He still thought she was beautiful, even with time against her she was radiant. She was still his ever-respected teacher and superior. He still knew that she was too good for him. He still knew that she thought of him as a child.

She raised an eyebrow. "Is that so?"

He laughed nervously. She was wanting him to explain himself, he knew it. "Well, you are still My Lady, and my teacher. You are still you, Lady Aya, so I see no reason to be surprised." He chuckled. "And you are not alone. I still find it hard to believe that I was only ten years ago your apprentice."

Aya shook her head. "But you are still a young man." she corrected him. "Your legacy is still beginning, even though it may not seem like it today."

"Perhaps so, but time still takes everyone by surprise. Only fools will think they are invincible to its touch."

"Seems your own wisdom is starting to take bloom, Kanetsugu." Aya smiled brightly. "You will be a worthy heir to Kenshin."

Hearing her say this made his heart pound wildly, but he restrained himself from letting it show even though she could not see it. If she could know just how in control of his emotions he was, she would be prouder still.

He finished rubbing her shoulders, getting the last tight spot rolled out. "That should do it now." he told her, standing up. She stood as well, and ran her hands under the fabric of her white dress. He'd done an excellent job getting out all the knots. She felt a few years younger, even. She laughed at the irony of this thought, appreciating the fact that her sense of humor had not been taken away over the last twenty years. She turned to her former student, her eyes shining with gratitude.

"And judging by how well you did on my shoulders, you'll make a wonderful husband one day, as well." she giggled. It was impossible for him to hide the dark red blush that took over his face. Images of he and Aya sharing their first kiss went through his mind, and his blush only deepened. That was a fantasy, of course, but it had gone through his mind so many times that it could have been a memory.

"Ay-ay-ay-ay...!" He stuttered.

"Looks like I've broken him." she laughed. "No need to be embarrassed, Kanetsugu. You're a very pretty young man. I'm sure you won't have any trouble finding a young lady one of these days."

"You won't try to set me up with anyone, will you?" He asked, thinking about how Aya was always playing matchmaker with her brother. She smiled mysteriously.

"Well, if you insist, I might just do that." she said. "In fact, let's begin tomorrow; I know of a lovely young woman who would be perfect for you!"

"I... don't think that it would work out." Kanetsugu said. Aya's eyes narrowed, but not in anger or annoyance.

"Nonsense. There's no reason you can give me why I shouldn't introduce you. I'll expect to see you tomorrow morning. Good night, Kanetsugu." as she said this, she none too gently pushed him out the door, before closing it and getting ready for bed.

Turning back to her door, Kanetsugu stayed where he was for a moment, pondering if he she tell her what he wanted to say. He knew, however, that he'd be in trouble, regardless of what he did or said. So he gave a long, exasperated sigh, and took off for his own bedroom, meeting up with Kadabra along the way.

"I suppose it would do no good to tell her I'm attracted to older women." He told his friend, who, in spite of not understanding the situation, nodded his head in agreement.

* * *

When I was playing the game and I found out that Aya was Kenshin's **older** sister, no joke, my reaction was identical to Kanetsugu's in this chapter. When I was first battling Illusio castle, and they go into that whole "You seem to be enjoying yourself, brother." thing, I thought, "Ok, so she's got to be in her mid twenties, and Kenshin's maybe late thirties..." when I was researching the games and I found out she was **40**, I think I died for a second. _40_?! Kenshin looks _**ancient** _compared to her, and he's the _younger_ brother. _How_ is she _40?!_ How is she the _older sibling _ to begin with?! But I still pair her with Kanetsugu, who's somewhere in his late twenties, I wager. Like I said before, I just can't help falling in love with them. I mean, why else would some guy be obsessed with love unless he was trying to get romantic with the woman who is even more obsessed with love? ...I think we know the answer.

I get the vibe based on some research I've done that Kanetsugu is like the Uesugi's punching bag, so I'm using that concept as a running gag in this fic. Whenever he'll appear, it'll be very likely that he'll somehow be abused in some way by his superiors... unintentionally, of course. Poor, sweet Kanetsugu. All he wants is love... and honor... and Aya. =P But he's the errand boy instead!

Also, Aya plays matchmaker for her brother, becuase I think that she wouldn't just mope about how her dearly beloved brother can't get a date. No, she'd definitely do the "right" thing and fix him up with some random chick she barely knows, and all loving sisters do!

Aya: He really wants me to, he's just too sweet to ask! ^-^

I hope you enjoyed this. I really do.

R&R at your leisure.


	4. Under a Cherry Blossom Tree

I'm finally back on this story after too much time at school! I hate to be repetitive for those of you who expect something different with each chapter, but after my last chapter, i was in an Aya x Kanetsugu mood and I began to work on this. Since I've now done only two for them, and another two for Ginchiyo and Muneshige (even if Motonari was in one of those), I promise to use characters OTHER than them in my next chapter. Actually, I have a good one for No and Okuni that I'm close to finishing. It's about Okuni's first night in Spectra. Does that sound interesting to anyone? Eventually, it's going to be in a chapter on here, regardless, so...

WOW! I am sooo happy for all of the people who have reviewed this story so far, whether it was to request a pairing be done, or just to say I did a good job on these, so thank you all from the bottom of my geeky pokemaniac's heart! For those of you who requested pairings, or even if you didn't, I'd like to give a reminder for what I said at the beginning of this fic: This isn't meant to be a very romantic fic. Yeah, I'm going to be using pairings that I liked in here, of course, but that's not the ultimate goal of this story. All I'm doing is the overall interactions and personalities of the characters based on what goes on in the game. I'm fleshing them out from just the 2D pixelated characters that they were in the game and giving them backstories, deeper emotions, and just overall more broadened relationships with one another, whether as friends, family, lovers, rivals, or straight-out enemies. So don't be afraid to give me non-pairing-centric ideas. I'm not complaining, it's just something that I thought I should point out.

But, for those of you who gave requests, I have some personal messages to give:

**cooking samurai: **Regarding your question about whether I'm going to be using all of the samurai warriors characters in this story, yes, I'll be attempting to use all of the Samurai Warriors characters that appeared in Pokemon Conquest. Well, except maybe Yoshimoto, because I just plain didn't like him, his castle, his pokemon, his warrior transformation, or... pretty much anything about him. Otherwise, yeah, if they were in Conquest, they'll be in this fic.

**The Magic Catgirl: **Haha, I agree; that _would _be funny. Hint hint taken; I was planning on doing something like that anyway, I just haven't gotten to it yet. But don't worry, just keep reading and eventually I'll have it done!

**BlkDragonEmala: **Yeah, I've seen Hanbei's cutscenes; I know exactly the one you're talking about. Now that's strategy! If I'm remembering right, there wasn't much (if any) interaction between the three of them in Conquest. which is going to make it even more interesting to write a chapter with them in it. I'll keep it in mind, so thanks for the idea!

**Guest: **RanmaruxOichi, got it! I'll try and get to it as soon as I can, so thanks for the idea, and please keep on reading until I write the chapter for you!

Now then, let's get to this chapter. As stated above, this will be another Aya and Kanetsugu chapter. Chapter 3 took place in the same time the game took place in, where I said Aya was 40 and Kanetsugu was 26, but this chapter will take place ten years prior, where Kanetsugu is still an apprentice under Aya. She's 30, and he's 16. The _hanami _ceremony that I mention in here is an actual Japanese tradition, for those of you who don't know. It's basically where you have a picnic under a cherry blossom tree during the time of the year when they're in full bloom. The concept first started some time near the end of the Edo period of Japan. It was originally only for the elite of Japan, but then became popular amongst the samurai class, and finally was widely done by all people in Japan. If you want to know more about it, go check out the wikipedia page for it. Finally, here's a little fun fact about cherry blossoms! There's an old saying in Japan about cherry blossoms that a fallen cherry blossom symbolises a falllen samurai. Considering how many cherry blossom trees there are in Japan alone, there must have been a lot of samurai who've died over the years.

Well, I shall annoy you all no further! Please proceed to what you all clicked on this link to do: READ THIS CHAPTER!

* * *

Springtime had just begun in Ransei, and with it, the time of season for the cherry blossoms to bloom. Anywhere the sakura trees grew, the earth around them was dusted in white and shades of pink. In the spirit of the season, Aya had convinced her apprentice to accompany her out of Illusio's castle to a nearby garden of the cherry blossom trees to enjoy a _hanami_ with her and their Pokemon.

"All respect given, My Lady, but should we not continue my training?" the young warrior asked, though he still willingly followed with Kirlia next to him.

Aya giggled at his question. "My boy, your training never stops. Not when you go to sleep, not when I invite you to escort me for a _hanami _date." At the word 'date', Kanetsugu's shoulders tensed. "Even when I have deemed you worthy to be accepted into Kenshin's army, your training will continue on. For if you truly wish to stand alongside Kenshin one day, then you can never stop improving upon yourself. He will not allow it, nor will I."

"Begging your tolerance, Lady Aya, but I do not see the values to be gained from sitting under a sakura tree eating rice balls and drinking _sake_."

Once more, Aya giggled, "Oh? Then clearly you still have _much _to learn!" she chuckled, never having heard of a man turning down any offer for free alcohol before. Though in all fairness, there were few men she associated with regularly other than her brother. "To be honest, Kanetsugu, I invited you because Kenshin is in Terrera today. He and Lord Shingen are engaging in another battle today for superiority, no doubt. Otherwise, I had planned on inviting him and allowing you a day to yourself."

Kanetsugu, though he did not say a word of it to his teacher, felt disappointed by her admitting that he was her second option. Although, he didn't know why this was. He assumed it was likely because it implied that he still wasn't worth her time or acknowledgement as an equal, but only half of him accepted this idea. The other half pondered, not for the first time, just what her exact relationship to Master Kenshin was that she was always willing to spend such personal time with him.

"Ah, perhaps it is for the best." Aya continued, bringing her apprentice's focus back to her, "If anything, I'll be able to supervise whatever progress you've made in your training this way. Perhaps by the end of our lunch, I may be able to teach you another lesson or two as well."

When they arrived in the gardens, Aya had them walk further for another 30 minutes or so before finding a tree that she deemed perfect to have their food under. Froslass, who had been carrying the basket of their food, took out a blanket from inside of it and laid it in a shaded area under the tree before going back into the basket and setting out the snacks and the _sake_. Aya, who had been carrying her other pokemon, a Cubchoo, with her, set the little white bear down on the blanket, but he did not stay there for long. Kirlia came up to Cubchoo then and began twirling in front of him on her toes. Cubchoo smiled and tried to mimic the dance, but only ended falling on his little tail. Kirlia and Froslass giggled at Cubchoo. After he picked himself up, Kirlia danced away from him and Cubchoo toddled after her as the two began a game of chase. Aya giggled as she and Kanetsugu took their seats on the blanket. Froslass floated towards them with two cups of _sake _in her hands, offering one to each of the warriors.

"Why, thank you, Froslass." Aya said appreciatively, "And here," she reached into the basket, pulling out something that her Pokemon had missed, "I brought some ponigiri for you and the others to share." She held one up, and Froslass happily accepted it, taking a large bite out of it.

Aya then held her drink up to Kanetsugu. "To good health and a lovely time, Kanetsugu." she said, before drinking the entire cup down in one sip.

Kanetsugu smiled. "Likewise, Lady Aya." he said, before taking a sip of his own. As he did, he noticed Aya reaching for the _sake _bottle to have another helping.

"That's a... really big bottle." he stated, noticing that it was almost as big as his head.

Aya smiled. "But of course. This _was _meant for Kenshin and I to share after all." she replied, "But don't assume that his absence changes anything; I'll still expect this whole bottle to be empty by the time that we leave. So don't be shy or else I'll be forced to drink it all myself."

"A-alright." Kanetsugu agreed, unsure of whether he meant it or not, "So, what is it that I'm meant to learn from this experience, exactly?" he asked.

"You tell me." Aya said, filling her cup for the third time, "This is your training; I can't tell you what to feel, or what you will understand to be true. That is something that you must discover for yourself. If you learn nothing, then who am I to impede my beliefs upon you?"

Kanetsugu sighed, helping himself to more _sake_. It was going to be a very long day.

~Q.N~

_" The Samurai falls;_

_And the cherry blossoms fall;_

_Their memories kept."_

Kanetsugu glanced over to Aya, hearing her recite a haiku he was unfamiliar with. It must have been one of her own creation. What was even more fascinating to him was that the bottle of _sake _was half empty, he having done little to make that possible, and Aya was still able to form coherent sentences even under the influence of the alcohol. Yet he had drank maybe a fifth of what she had, if that, and his head was swimming.

"Was that a lesson, M'Lady?" he asked.

"Only if you learned something from it." she responded.

He snorted in response to this. "Hard to learn when you're not teaching."

"Hard to teach when you're refusing to learn." she retorted, in a voice more collected than that which he used to address her. She smiled sweetly. It annoyed him to no end how she could always remain so... well, _perfect_! Always refined and collected, as though she hadn't just drank nearly half a bottle of _sake_. As though he wasn't being obnoxious and discourteous to her.

"But how can I learn if you teach me nothing at all?" he asked, half drunken annoyance, and half earnest request.

Aya didn't falter. "Take initiative." she said simply, and returned to their lunch. Kanetsugu glanced over at the plate of food she had made for herself. For all of the drinking that she had done, it was taking her nearly an hour to eat just the white rice and vegetables on her plate, he had finished his food within a few minutes, and had not been waiting all this time, patiently yet bored, for his teacher to say that they could return to the castle. At least then, he'd be able to train with Kirlia in peace. For whatever reason, Aya had forbidden him to practice his physical training here, so he was forced to sit and do nothing. If she had only told him to meditate, then at least he would have had her instruction to focus his mind on, but without her word, he wasn't sure of what to do with himself except to lay sloth.

As his boredom grew, he began to focus on the cherry blossom petals falling. He'd focus on just one as it made its journey to the ground, and then seek out another to follow once the first had made it to the bottom. At one point, he found his eyes drawn to a full blossom falling out of a tree, by chance the one they were sitting under. This particular flower landed directly in front of him, and even after it did, it maintained his focus. Another soon landed next to it, also a full flower with each light pink petal intact. On impulse, he picked the two up and cradled them in his hand. He looked around, searching for other flowers that had fallen off the tree whole, and his eyes fell on their Pokemon. Kirlia and Froslass were together, making little crowns and necklaces out of the fallen sakura petals. Cubchoo sat between them, as they worked on one for the younger cub to wear as he nibbled at one of the ponigiri. Inspiration struck then, and Kanetsugu excused himself from his mistress's side and walked towards the Pokemon. As he went away, he did not notice the smile grow on Aya lips as she took another sip of _sake._

Kanetsugu spent a good amount of time over by the three Pokemon, observing just how Kirlia and Froslass put together the petals to make the organic jewelry, and tried to copy the same techniques with the full blooms he was slowly beginning to accumulate. He was so engrossed in the task that he did not notice Kirlia come up to him until she placed a flower crown that she had made for him on his head. She giggled in satisfaction that it was a perfect fit on her human partner, and wrapped her smaller arms around one of his. From where she sat, Aya watched as Kanetsugu smiled down at her and patted the tiny dancing Pokemon's head, causing her to giggle some more. Cuchoo tried to get into the hug as well, but was held back in a motherly way by Froslass, not wanting Kanetsugu to be smothered by wet-nosed Cubchoo kisses. After a while, Kanetsugu returned to sit with Aya, excusing himself for his absence and taking his seat next to her again. He quickly glanced over at her plate, happy to see that in the time he was away, most of her plate had been cleaned off.

"Enjoy your trip?" she asked, nodding towards their Pokemon. Kanetsugu shrugged.

"Better than being without something to do, I suppose." he said, casually waving off her inquiry.

"There is nothing unless you make something of what is around you." she stated. Kanetsugu rolled his eyes; He should have stayed with Kirlia; when she wanted to speak, she spoke through dance and not vague philosophies and secret codes.

"But if you felt you were being more productive without my presence, then why return?" she wondered.

"Perhaps it is that I enjoy your company." he stated. Though he mentally regretted this explanation moments later. Not because he felt he had offended her in any way, but because it was more true than he realized until he actually said it out loud.

Aya smiled. "So, I hold a special place in my impatient student's heart, do I?" she asked. He didn't respond to this.

At first, Aya considered telling him that it was rude to leave a question unanswered, but decided against it. In the short time that she had come to know Kanetsugu, she had learned that while he could understand nearly any teaching, technique or training she could give him, his difficulty lied in his inability to understand his own heart. Ever since she had made this discovery of his character, she had adjusted his training to fit this (what she considered) very crucial need. He needed to make his own decisions, determine his own beliefs, and not simply adopt every lesson she or anyone else taught him. But he did so none the less. Therefore, how could he answer a question that he had no answer for?

She glanced down at the crown of cherry blossoms he had made laying in his lap, a different lesson coming to her instead. She smiled mischievously at him.

"Did you know that each flower in that crown you made contains the spirit of a samurai who had died in battle?" she asked.

His eyes widened, and he glanced down at the crown in shock. He quickly pushed it out of his hands as though it were made of burning coals, and looked between it and Aya.

"R-really?!" he asked in shock, flustered and petrified that he might have been turning the souls of other warriors who had died honorably in battle into a head accessory.

Aya giggled behind her hand at his dumbfounded expression. Such naivety for one his age. "Well, they may be." she admitted, "But even if they are not, they have still lived a short life, full of hardships, and we should respect them. They give us beauty for what little time they have, and then they must wither and die on the cold earth, so far from where they were born. It is the least we can do to respect them for what little they give us."

Kanetsugu huffed; she was teasing him again! Even if he was her student, even if she was his elder, even if she was stronger, and wiser, and more attractive-! ...Wait... what was that last part?! What did _that _have to do with anything?! Physical appearance held no place in this! The point was, he deserved more respect from her, more credit than she gave him! Perhaps he was not the most accomplished apprentice she had ever taken, but he was still devoting his entire life to her teachings, and in serving Lord Kenshin! Surely, that deserved a place of honor in her eyes, his dedication, his sacrifice.

...Still, the meaning behind her words was true enough. He would never think to be grateful to the sakura for simply _existing_. No one would. He looked towards Aya, wondering if she had been that way as well; had she always paid attention to such insignificancies, or had someone had to teach her the same lesson in order for her to believe this. Realizing what he was thinking then amazed him. That was the first time he had ever associated Aya with himself. Never before had he considered that Aya had not always been so refined, so utterly _flawless_. Aya was as human as he was, of course. Surely, at some time she had been a child. At some point in her life, she must have been a student to someone. Perhaps even to Kenshin. And between that point and the present, she had become as she was, who she was. She had become great enough to stand next to Kenshin himself! Subconsciously, a parallel began to form in his mind between himself and Aya. Could he _become _Aya? If he followed in her example, attempted to practice what she preached, could he become an _equal _to her? Up until now, he had only wished to be her student in the hopes of serving in Kenshin's army, dreaming of rising to the ranks of a retainer for the hailed Dragon God of War, never once thinking it was possible to amount to her greatness. But could he? If she had once been as he was now, then it was almost certain that he could become as she had become. And through her own teachings, she would willingly offer this place of respect to him.

_And one day,_ he vowed, _one day, I shall become someone worthy of her respect. One day, she will be proud of me. _

He looked back at Aya, and noticed that she had taken off her hooded robe. He smiled, and quickly, gently picked up the crown in front of him, an idea forming in his mind. If he wished for her mutual respect, then he would gladly take the first step in earning it.

"Indeed, My Lady." he agreed, placing the crown of cherry blossoms on her head, adjusting it so that it was balanced right. It was a perfect fit, which was expected. He had been thinking of her while making it. "Therefore, I can think of no finer way to show respect than to amalgamate them with one who captures their beauty in her very being." he said. The words came so easily to him, he hardly needed to think of what to say. If only it were always this easy to talk to her.

Her eyes widened the slightest bit at this proclamation. It had been some time since she heard anyone say something like that to her, least of all a young man like Kanetsugu. For a moment, she was lost, unsure of how to respond to him. She thought back to ten years ago. If she had addressed _him_ in such a way back then, how would _he _have responded? No, that was different; _he_ had loved her (she hoped). He would have responded differently. She had to respond as his teacher.

She smiled sweetly at her student, only allowing the slightest blush of flattery to grace her. "I think you've had too much _sake, _my boy. It's turning you into a poet." she said.

Kanetsugu's face instantly dropped. She thought... that _he _was drunk?! Wait, was he? He didn't think he was. Still, it's not always easy to tell when you are. But if she wasn't tipsy from drinking nearly their entire bottle of _sake, _then how could he be?

"M-my Lady, I've only had a small amount!" he protested.

"I see." she said, "Apparently, you must have a low tolerance of alcohol. We'll certainly have to fix that." She winked at him, before focusing her attention on their Pokemon.

He must have been drunk, then. If anything, it explained why Aya had suddenly become so endearingly cute in his eyes. And that wink... had she been flirting with him... NO! No; that _wasn't _true! If he was drunk, than that meant that everything that he was thinking was the _opposite_ of what it really was. Exactly! So Aya _wasn't _flirting with him, and he _wasn't _attracted to her in any physical way! Because he was drunk!

"...A-a-are we... going back now?" he asked shakily, unsure of himself now that he thought he was "drunk". He glanced back to his teacher, noticing that she was packing up their things with Froslass's help, and that Kirlia and Cubchoo were with them as well. Aya looked up from her work at him and smiled.

"Well... I suppose we could. We still have some _sake_ left, but I don't think we should finish it off, seeing as at least one of us should remain sober for the walk home." He blushed at this remark, realizing that he surely wasn't gaining any respect from her for being in such a state. If only he hadn't drank as much as he thought he had. He cursed to himself, realizing that he couldn't have picked a worse time to make a revelation for himself.

"But you still haven't answered my question, you know." she said, standing up with the fully packed basket in one hand, and Cubchoo in her spare arm, nuzzling into the embrace.

"What question was that?" he asked.

"When I asked if I held a special place in your heart." she said, "I believe I deserve an answer."

"That you do, Lady Aya." Kanetsugu agreed nervously, "However, I believe I would be more fit to give you an answer with meaning when I am without the influence of alcohol."

Aya smiled, giving the basket in her hand to her Froslass before wrapping an arm over Kanetsugu's shoulder affectionately. "Take all the time you need to answer, my boy." she advised him. She turned her head up to one of the cherry blossom trees as they passed by it. Interestingly enough, there was a branch on that tree whose flowers were still budding, even though all others around it were fully bloomed and falling off their branches. She smiled.

"After all, love is not something that can be rushed."

* * *

Wow! That was so much longer than I thought it would be! When I first started this chapter, I thought I'd be lucky to get even 1000 words out of this idea, but I just kept typing until I got this. And I must say, I am very pleased with the results!

So, for anyone who's a little lost, this is how things go down in Queen Nephthys's head:

Kanetsugu originally came to Aya to train him so that he could become a warrior in Kenshin's army, because no one is accepted into Kenshin's army without Aya's consent first. So Aya agrees to train Kanetsugu. As his training progresses, Kanetsugu feels that he is making no progress at all, and blames Aya for teaching him nothing. While in reality, Aya noticed his potential for greatness the moment she met him, and has been giving him more advanced training than she had given to any of her previous students. By this chapter, several months into his training, he's convinced that Aya does not take him seriously because he is so beneath her, so he pledges to become a person worthy of her respect. He is also, unknowingly, developing a crush of her.

The _he _that Aya referred to in this chapter is a man that she met at some point in her past. He helped her for a time and taught her the values of love that she holds so close to her now. And yes, she was in love with him. So I created a parallel between Aya and Kanetsugu's histories in this way, where they're both taught by someone at some point in their lives, and they come to have feelings for that person.

Also, for that last part, he wasn't really drunk at the end, Aya was just able to convince him that he was. Whether she did it on purpose or not, I can't say! ;-) Oh, I had so much fun writing Aya being drunk and being able to convince Kanetsugu that _he _was the one who was actually drunk! hahaa!

I hope you all enjoyed, and I'll be getting to the next chapter as soon as I can!

R&R at your leisure!


	5. The Geisha and the Ghost

Oh...GAAAAAAHHHHD! This is doubtlessly the longest chapter I have written for this story, and potentially in all of my other fanfics. You, chapter 5, are worthy of the title of Unrivaled Chapter! Ha ha ha ha!

On a side note, I am happy to announce that I finally found a copy of Samurai Warriors 3 at a local GameStop! I was at the mall with my sister and her boyfriend last week, and we went into Gamestop. I'd been to a few other stores looking for it, and I really had no luck, so I wasn't expecting anything... when what to my wondering eyes should appear, but Yukimura and Kai! On the cover of (drumroll, please!)... SAMURAI WARIORS 3! So yes, I can now truly call myself a SW fan for real. I've played through the first ten Story Modes you start off with in the game, and was disappointed to find that Aya did not have a personal story mode. I mean, I knew that anyway, but it's a completely different feeling of disappointment when you've been searching for the game since you discovered it existed, finally find it in a chance encounter, envisioning playing as your second favorite character as you purchase it, and then getting home, putting it in the Wii, and then as you're going through the different characters you can access, you begin to ask yourself, "Hey, wait! Where's my beautiful Lady Ay...ooooooohhhhhhhhhhhh, riiiiight! I forgot!" and then your sister starts poking you with a stick as you curl up in a ball on the sofa and think about your life. Although I was happy (albeit confused) to find that she could be accessed as a custom character's model once you completed Kenshin and Kanetsugu's story modes, so that's what I did! And now, I AM Lady Aya!

Seriously, though, I love the game; it's just as addicting as Pokemon Conquest was! In fact, I plan to get back to it once I take a nap and eat lunch. And now that I have it, my next objective will be to find Samurai Warriors Chronicles, and a copy of Warriors Orochi 3 for the Xbox 360! Needless to say, my updating habits probably won't be improving anytime soon!

But as for the here and now, this is the chapter I promised last chapter, with something a little different than my last four chaps. This chapter will be devoted to Spectra's Warlord's particularly my number one favorite Samurai Warriors girl: Lady No! Surprised? Thought it would be Aya? Nope! Want an explanation? Ok, here goes: Reason #1. No uses GHOST-TYPE Pokemon in Conquest, Ghost-types being tied with Dark types as my favorite Pokemon. That was where my initial fascination with her came from. Reason #2. Further research of her character in Conquest and the actual SW games and spinoffs gave me the realization that No is a real sadistic bitch! Moreover, the love/hate relationship she has with Nobunaga reminds me almost of the relationship I have with my secret crush! XD But that dark, seductive personality really attracts me to her character because it just makes her a bit more real than other characters, dare I say it even gives her more _humanity_! I just think that there's so much more to her than the others, which just makes me like her as much as I do.

Yes, I do love Aya, but if I had to rate my favorite characters, No would be in first place, and Aya would be in the 1.0001st place! And I think the only reason for it is because No was love at first sight for me, and even though I always thought Aya was pretty, she had to grow on me before I becane obsessed with her as I did. But really, if you examine the two of them closely, it's interesting how similar the two really are. They're almost like Hanbei and Kanbei, conflicting personalities, but if you look close enough, you're able to see the similarities. They're supposed to have some brief interaction in SW Chronicles, but since I haven't played the game yet, I wouldn't have seen it. But it seems to me like if they would meet, they would hate each other not because of their differences, but because of the realization that they had more in common than they would think. It would probably unnerve the two.

This particular story will show Okuni's first night in Spectra, and ultimately how she came to be Lady No's junior warlord. Be warned: this is a much darker chapter than the previous ones I wrote, in order to keep No as IC as possible. And I will not be toning down her darker qualities for the sake of the younger audience, because I am not trying to appeal to a younger audience! So I'll be as true to her SW character as I can. Also, just because she's my favorite character, doesn't mean I'll be making her out as "misunderstood" or a "fallen angel". As I stated above, No is a sadistic bitch, that's how I like her, that's the beauty of her character, and that's exactly how I plan to portray her in this story. She is selfish, sadistic, masochistic, creepy, etc., and I love her for it. As for Okuni, I didn't really take as much of an interest in her character, but I did enjoy writing the story from her perspective, so for those who are Okuni fans, I hope I did right by her.

Well, at this point I've practically written a second chapter's worth of Author's rants, so let's just move onto the story! Like I said, it's LONG! So you best get started now!

* * *

She had arrived in Spectra that night, never with the intention of staying. And why would she, anyway? This was just another kingdom, no different from the rest. Haunted, maybe, but still, just one of seventeen kingdoms. A spec compared to the vastness of the entire region. Who should know that better than her. She'd travelled all over, been to every kingdom at one time or another. They all held their own charms. Each had a new adventure, a different something to discover for the first time. This uniqueness tied them all together. They were all just towns, and Spectra was no exception.

Still, this wasn't the first time she had been to the kingdom of ghosts. She knew it well enough. Half the kingdom was a graveyard, and the other half was a virtual ghost town, with Spectra's castle standing at its zenith, looming over the entire kingdom, supposedly as ominous and dominating as its Warlord was.

Not that Okuni had ever met the Warlord of Spectra, mind you, but she had heard rumors. It seems that was the only means of information throughout Spectra's kingdom. If you wanted to know anything, you had to hear it through whispers. And from what whispers Okuni had heard, she had painted this mental image of the Warlord of Spectra: A woman, one full of youth and beauty, according to rumor, Ransei's greatest beauty. She was mysterious to many of those who lived in Spectra, aloof, some would say. She was enamored with the beauty and pleasures of the battlefield, which to Okuni sounded like a decorated way of saying she enjoyed a good fight. Who in Ransei didn't? Those were the only straight facts she knew of the woman. From there, the other rumors would conflict with one another. Some would call her an elegant, charming beauty, full of mystique and allure. Others said she was ruthless and coldhearted, vain and selfish. She was a merciful Warlord whose love for Pokemon knew no limits. She was a heartless tyrant who only loved her reflection. The warriors who served her were her allies. The warriors who served her were her slaves. She was a goddess amongst warriors. She was a witch who had sold her soul to the devil. Ultimately, this woman was everything and a cup of confusion. Not that it meant anything to Okuni. Never met the lady, never had a desire to, and it would probably stay that way.

She arrived in the city soon enough, and immediately set to work with her beloved Pokemon companions, Whirlipede and Larvesta. While she intended on spending the night in this city, a room for the night would cost money, something she didn't have at the moment. So, she would have to earn the money through entertainment. Battling may not be her strong point, but she could certainly dance with twice the skills of even the most experienced dancer. And not to boast, but she knew how to keep the audience on their toes and laughing their hearts out. And laugh did they. When she set up her own personal stage in the market place, people and Pokemon alike gathered to see her show. She danced, she told jokes, she acted, with Whirlipede and Larvesta helping her along the way. Sometimes she would call on the audience members to assist her with some trick or gag. And through it all she never missed a beat. She rolled from one antic to the next as quickly and easily as a Pansage could swing from one tree to another. As she noticed her pouch of money filling up quickly, she decided it was time to pull out her final trick, the grande finale as it were. She began to clap her hands in a quick-paced, rhythmic beat, inclining herself towards her audience and encouraging them to clap along. Nearly everyone in the audience laughed and followed in her step, setting the pace for her final trick. Hearing the cue, her Pokemon quickly came over and readied themselves for the trick. Okuni lowered her umbrella for Larvesta to climb onto, then hoisted him into the air on it, twirling the umbrella in her hands as the larva Pokemon began to jump around on top of it, earning cheers of approval from the audience. But she wasn't done yet; now she climbed atop of Whirlipede, never stopping the motions with her umbrella. And for the final part, Whirlipede began to slowly spin in place with her on top of him, as she stepped in time with his movements to keep herself balanced on top of him. The cheers of the audience quickly turned to roars. But she wasn't done yet, tapping Whirlipede twice with her foot to signify the final step. Her Pokemon got the message and slowly began to whirl around the stage. The triple balancing act continued for another minute before Okuni felt herself getting tired jumped off of Whirlipede, and gave her umbrella a final twirl before shooting it into the air with Larvesta still on top of it. As both of them came back down, she caught Larvesta in one arm, and the umbrella by the pole in her free hand. Whirlipede came up beside her and the three actors bowed to their audience, who were practically throwing the money and flowers at the trio now.

Okuni beamed. All this money would guarantee she and her Pokemon a good meal and a nice room for the evening. She hugged her Pokemon in praise for the good job they did. None of the tricks she had taught them had been easy to learn, especially that last one which had taken almost two and a half years of practice just to perfect. But their hard work always showed after every new performance they did. She thanked her two friends before bowing to the dispersing crowd once more. She collected the coins that had scattered on the stage one by one, sometimes allowing a few ghost Pokemon to take the coins if they wanted them. What ghosts could possibly want with money, she had no idea, but she could only guess that they probably liked the shininess of the objects and used them as some kind of toys. As she reached for another coin to take, two ornate slippers suddenly blocked her path. Looking up, she discovered that these slippers were attached to a living, human body. A woman's, to be precise.

To be modest, the woman before Okuni was attractive. To be honest, she was nothing short of stunningly gorgeous! Her face was a work of art in itself; flowing dark violet locks of hair held up by a kanzashi ornament, amethyst eyes so dark they were almost black, thickly lined with eyeliner and mascara, full painted lips curved into a mischievous grin. The elegant jaw line curved down into a slender neck, defined collar bone, and just overall a body that any man would lust after. She was dressed in a beautifully designed yukata. Actually, it made more sense to say that she was _decorated _by it than to say that she was dressed in it, given how little the outfit actually covered. If anything, the kimono's sole purpose was simply to accentuate an already beautiful woman.

Okuni gazed up at the woman in awe for a moment. Normally she would be suspicious of people who would suddenly appear before her mysteriously, but she had no time to even consider being suspicious as the woman continued to mesmerize her. Slowly, the woman crouched down to kneel with Okuni, smiling at her. The smile seemed an innocent gesture, but a sense of foreboding suddenly crossed the traveler as those lips curved upward. It almost seemed predatory. Yet once again, Okuni hadn't the time for this thought to go through her head. The woman picked up the coin that Okuni had been reaching for, and held it between them in the palm of her hand. Like a Carnivine waiting for prey to enter its mouth unexpectedly.

"You must be quick to conceal what is rightfully yours, geisha." the woman spoke. Her voice was like the wind, hushed and unthreatening. "The Pokemon in this city are very fond of manmade objects; they like to take them for their own amusement."

Okuni looked down at the coin in the woman's hand, hesitant for some reason, but eventually decided to accept it. It was her money, after all. Instead of a Carnivine's bite, however, when she took the coin off the woman's hand, she was met with the softness of a Lilligant's petals.

"Why do they like human things so much?" she asked, compelled to talk to this woman.

She chuckled lightly. "It probably reminds them of when they were alive." she stated, and giggled again. Okuni couldn't understand what was so funny about this statement. The woman looked up at Okuni, noticing her uncomfortable smile, so she decided to change the subject. "You probably didn't notice, but I was in the crowd watching your performance before. No amount of money I could give you would be able to say how much I enjoyed the act, so I decided to tell you properly."

"Oh! Uh... well, thank you, miss." Okuni said uncertainly. The thought still remained in the back of her mind that this woman's intentions were not as pure as she was letting on.

"Call me No." the woman stated, "And what may I call you, geisha?"

"My name is Okuni." Okuni replied, "But I'm afraid you are mistaken, Lady No; I'm no geisha. Just a traveler earning some money for a place to stay tonight."

"Ah, then it is fortunate for you that I decided to speak with you." the woman stated, standing up and offering her hand to Okuni once again. Okuni accepted the help, this time less suspicious. "I happen to have an empty room in my abode. Perhaps you should accept an invitation to stay the night."

Okuni's eyes brightened, but she still remained wary. This seemed almost too convenient than what she was used to. "Well... if the price is fair..."

"How does 'free' sound?" No asked. "That includes dinner and full use of the bath, by the way."

"Well... that sounds wonderful. I appreciate the generosity, my lady!" Okuni stated happily. She decided to stop worrying at this point. A free room? Dinner? A bath? There was no way she was about to pass that up! And should trouble arise, well, she hadn't just trained her Pokemon to _dance_ after all! She was certain that they'd be able to get her out of any trouble she could still very likely get into.

"Think nothing of it, geisha. Superior people deserve superior treatment."

Okuni giggled, flustered by the acknowledgement. "I would hardly consider myself superior."

"Perhaps not by the standards of others, but believe me, geisha, you are very unique by the standards of this kingdom. It is seldom we ever have warriors enter into our midst without a request for a battle, even more seldom for one to enter with _living _Pokemon. You are a sweet young lady; I hope, for your sake, they live through the night." Okuni shuddered, and she felt her Pokemon shake as well from next to her. No laughed again.

"Don't be intimidated; there is no curse upon this kingdom that you need fear." She turned and began to walk away. Okuni walked behind her, not even trusting the woman enough to be beside her. "Actually, let me give you a personal secret about this place: We start those rumors to keep the warlords from other nations from attempting to invade us. Otherwise, we might have been taken over by our neighbor kingdoms years ago. Like I said, everything here is dead; what would we have to fight back with?"

"I've been told..." Okuni began, "That ghost Pokemon are immune to physical attacks. In order to defeat one, a more spiritual approach must be taken. "

No nodded in agreement. "Between that and the 'curse', it keeps the weaklings away. It can be a bit slow at times, but when someone worthy finally comes along, it will make the battle all the more pleasurable for me."

Okuni processed those words for a moment, before her eyes shot open. This woman, this No, was she... could she be...?

"Ah, it seems we've arrived." No said, glancing ahead of them. Okuni looked as well. Not too far off was Spectra Castle, with no other buildings in sight. A dense forest surrounded the narrow path leading towards the castle, and when they finally got to the clearing where it was located, the castle itself was surrounded by a graveyard. Strange balls of light danced around the graves similar to fire, only they gave off no heat, and they seemed to have no source of fuel. Okuni gazed at them in mesmerized fascination, while her Pokemon trembled in fear and hid behind the humans to avoid them as if they were the plague. Lady No noticed Okuni's interest and smirked. "Your first time in a graveyard, I take it?"

"Well, let's just say it's not the most _lively_ place for a dancer to entertain at." Okuni replied, her voice quivering. No laughed at the unintentional pun.

"Those flames are the souls of the departed. They, too, protect this place from those who would disturb the eternal slumber of the deceased. This cemetery in particular is the resting ground for past warlords of Ransei and their Pokemon. I suppose you could say they still have a bit of fighting spirit left in them." she gave another light hearted laugh, and turned back to the young dancer, who had joined her Pokemon in cowering from the flames. "Oh, not to worry; perfectly harmless creatures to you or I, my dear. All they want is to say hello at the moment... unless you are looking for a battle."

Okuni quickly shook her head, deciding it was unwise to pick a fight with the undead.

"But you know," No continued, "They seem to have taken a liking to you... I wonder if they'll allow you to leave after all..."

Okuni gulped, the prospect of danger once more crossing her mind. "Th-then perhaps I should find somewhere else to stay for the night..." she offered, hoping that the other woman would agree with her.

No shook her head. "I wouldn't worry too much, geisha. Should anything happen, I shall see to it that you are shown courtesy. We've never had any trouble before with guests, and I won't be having any now."

"And how, exactly, do you keep something like that from happening, my lady?" Okuni asked.

No smirked, and looked over at the dancing flames. "Well, the most efficient way has always been exorcism, but I've never particularly liked this method. After all, what is a curse to us could be a prank gone a little too far to a ghost, especially Ghost-type Pokemon. They're especially fond of pranks and tricks. When it comes to such things as curses, well, depending on the magnitude of the curse, and the desire of the spirit to continue with it, often times the spirit will simply give up and go on to another victim. In these cases, it is usually best to simply ignore them and let them be until they lose interest. Unless killing is involved, I do not condone exorcising of spirits."

"And if the 'pranks' are persistent?" Okuni asked.

"Then perhaps they are not simply pranks. Ghosts are no different than humans; they do not waste their time if there is nothing to be gained from such antics. Time is just as precious to the dead as it is to the living."

"How do you know this?"

"Truthfully, I don't. But from the cases I've seen, it just seems to be that way."

"Is that one of your tasks as warlord of Spectra, if I may ask?" Okuni wondered tentatively.

No turned back to the young woman, sporting another mysterious, predatory grin. "I don't believe I ever addressed myself as being Spectra's warlord, geisha." she responded.

"Well, it seems a bit obvious at this point." Okuni noted, gesturing up to Spectra castle, which they now stood before the doors of. "Which leads to my next question: why didn't you just say so in the first place, ma'am?"

No quickly raised a finger to her lips, looking back behind them at the graveyard. The gesture seemed less anxious, and more playful, but the Cheshire cat-like smile may have contributed to that effect.

"A name is a powerful thing, geisha. You give that to someone, and they have you in their power forever. And the ghosts... the ghosts speak in whispers. You give them your name, and they will whisper it about all over for everyone to know."

Okuni tilted her head in thought. "Seems like an excellent way to get free publicity." she mused, giving a genuine smile for the first time since she first encountered Lady No.

Said lady gave a light chuckle at this interpretation. "Well, I'm sure from the perspective of an entertainer, this is so. But a name is not simply used for the recognition of an individual, especially not to the souls of the departed." She shook her head. "But we may speak further on such topics in the comfort of the castle. Please, geisha, we've spent enough time with the ghosts."

Okuni's face fell a little, but rather than a frown of anger, her face only contorted into a dejected pout. The 'geisha' title this woman had dubbed upon her was starting to get bothersome. "My Lady, please, I'd much rather be called by name. So please, it's Oku-"

"Ah-ah-ah!" No quickly hushed her, holding a hand to her face. She quickly herded the young girl inside the palace, and shut the doors behind them. "The spirits do not need to know it. You and I do, and that is all that matters. Now come. I will have a pot of tea made for us. You are the guest of honor for the night."

"And you are certain I do not need to pay for my room for the night?" Okuni repeated.

No shook her head. "It is only one night, after all... Unless you plan to stay longer. In which case we may be able to make an arrangement of sorts.

"No; I plan to leave the kingdom tomorrow at first sunlight. After all, I've got places to go and people to meet."

The older woman nodded in understanding. "I see; well, that is but still tomorrow. As for tonight, let us celebrate a little."

"What's the occasion?" Okuni wondered, allowing Lady No to lead them through the dimly lit castle, and into a small, empty room that appeared to be used for banquets.

No smiled, and sat down with Okuni at the table in the center of the room. On the table was already a hot teapot and two cups... as though someone had already anticipated their arrival.

"How about the meeting of two common spirits." No suggested.

"With all due respect, My Lady, we're practically strangers." Okuni pointed out as she sat down, her Pokemon resting on either side of her.

"You think so?" The woman asked, picking up the teapot and beginning to pour Okuni a cup. "Well then, let's see how fast we may be able to find common ground, geisha."

Okuni didn't know for how long they sat and talked for. It could have been mere minutes, or even _days_, yet she hardly noticed or cared for the time that went by. The first reason was that the 'common ground' that Lady No had wished to find with her came all of two seconds into their conversation: men! The moment that No brought up her desire for a good man, Okuni instantly broke into the biographies of every man she had ever come into contact with, even going as far as to bring out her personal collection of documented eligible bachelors in Ransei. She was delighted when Lady No started giving her own accounts of some of the male warlords in the region. Apparently, she had been childhood friends with Lord Mitsuhide of Nixtorm, and had even introduced him to his late wife. Lord Nobunaga of Dragnor was another closer-than-simply-acquaintances of hers, though, much to Okuni's disappointment, it seemed that he was just as mysterious and illusive to the woman who spoke of him as that very woman was to Okuni. She also spoke with high regards of Lord Ieyasu and Lord Tadakatsu of Valora, as well as a few other warlords, though she would point out the less desirable qualities of most, stating quite bluntly that the majority of them were nothing special. And for whatever curious reason, when the dancer brought up the warlords of Illusio, the subject was promptly changed. Yet when Okuni tried to circle back to the Warlord heralded as the God of War, as well as his loyal retainer, the subject was once more disregarded, with no explanation as to why. Eventually, the conversation turned to Okuni and her own experiences and travels. At first, she started talking about the different kingdoms and her experiences in each, making sure not to leave out a single detail. She talked of everything from the lush plains of western Ransei, to the sunny, sand-filled beaches in the south, and even about her travels in the near desolate, marshy lands of eastern Ransei, which would be familiar territory for Spectra's warlord. From there, she went through her experiences with the various people and Pokemon of Ransei. This included the meeting of her two Pokemon partners, Whirlipede and Larvesta, one she been friends with since childhood, and the other she came across while travelling in western Ransei a few short years ago. She spoke of her past friends and boyfriends, the former of which she had many and the latter of which she had too few and for too short a time. She confessed to the older woman her dislike of jumping into relationships too quickly, a lesson learned from her first boyfriend from when she was younger. She stated the goal of her travels was to search the whole country in order to find the perfect boyfriend for her. No laughed at this, but nonetheless told her in earnest that it was no small task, and certainly one that took true dedication. Okuni also told No of her hometown, her family, her favorite foods, how she came to want to be an entertainer, her hobbies outside of men and entertaining, and her secret recipe for making a special kind of ponigiri she called pokegiri, on account of how the ponigiri would look like the faces of various pokemon when they were done right. It was after this topic, which she had never told anyone else before, that the young dancer realized that she was giving away more than she had intended, while her companion seemed to be sharing nothing at all. So, as tactfully as she could, Okuni attempted to change the subject to Lady No. She asked some casual questions, ones that anyone would ask when making small talk. The answers she received, however, were as generic as the questions she asked. She may as well have wondered of the weather. Still, some answers did flesh out the woman before her. She was young, just turned eighteen not a month ago, which meant there was a three year age difference between the two of them, with Okuni being the younger. Truthfully, this surprised Okuni. She had known the woman was young, but not _that _young; she looked as though she could at least be in her early twenties. Besides age, she mentioned her father, dead, buried outside the castle with the other former warlords. The topic didn't seem to bother her, in spite of her stating that it only happened recently. Although she had nothing of value to say about Lord Nobunaga, she brought him up frequently, mentioned her admiration of him, and her overall distaste for his younger sister. She kept no staff in the castle, mostly because she was perfectly capable of doing things on her own. The warriors in her service lived in Spectra, and reported to her every day, but they did not live in the castle with her. They had their own houses with their own families which they went home to every night. The woman once more seemed unfazed by the topic, but Okuni was beginning to sense that the woman before her was a lot more lonely than she let on. At one point, a Mismagius floated into the room, and straight towards Lady No. It levitated beside her, gently nuzzling her face out of affection, revealing itself to be her partner Pokemon. No confirmed this, and gently stroked the Ghost Pokemon's nearly formless arm. Still, she seemed to feel the caress, for she leaned into it somewhat, smiling as sweetly as a Ghost Pokemon possibly could. So, Lady No _does _care about the Ghost Pokemon in Spectra, Okuni mused, watching the brief interaction between warrior and Pokemon. For all her mystery and detachment from others, she was indeed a caring soul. Okuni smiled warmly at this thought. Still, she couldn't help but continue to wonder: why all the mystery and detachment to begin with? Was it simply a show to keep potential threats away, just as she had mentioned before? Or was it the opposite, where she was not defending herself and her kingdom, but keeping others from a danger that lied within Spectra? Or perhaps a combination of both. More importantly, did it really matter when she knew she wouldn't get a straight answer out of the woman? After all, for all the questions she asked, she still knew little to nothing of importance about the lady.

Their conversation ceased as No lifted a delicate, well-manicured hand to her face to stifle a yawn. "Ah, it must be well past midnight by now." she stated. "Perhaps we should retire for the evening. I'll escort you to your room, my dear."

Okuni smiled and quickly bowed her head. "Thank you again, my lady." she replied.

"Think nothing of it." No said, shaking off the grateful reply. "One good deed begets another, as the saying goes. I'm sure one day you'll be able to offer me the same grace, provided such a time ever comes. Like I said, I'm usually able to handle things on my own."

She led Okuni and her Pokemon up two flights of stairs, down a corridor and past three doors before she finally arrived at one near the opposite end of the corridor. The room was dimly lit by some candles and the moonlight shining in from the two windows. When they entered, they were met by a large group of Gastly and Duskull, who were floating around the small room, levitating candles, some of which were other Ghost Pokemon known as Litwik, The Litwik appeared to be terrified of floating in midair, but the other Pokemon only laughed playfully at their distress. Mismagius, still by No's side, giggled mischievously at her fellow ghosts' antics, but floated inside at brought their attention to her human companions. Seeing their living guests in the doorway, the Ghosts quickly relinquished the Litwik from their midair experience, though none-too-gently dropping them on the floor. No shook her head disapprovingly at the Gastly and Duskull, which all bowed their heads as though they were misbehaving children being caught in the act by their mother. The thought made Okuni giggle.

"Well, away with you, now." No said with a gentle smile at the Pokemon. "Go on, we have a guest. I'm sure you may find some other way to amuse yourselves." The Ghosts fazed through the walls of the room, looking dejected. Sensing the 'danger' had departed, the remaining Litwik began to giggle over the bigger Pokemon being scolded.

"That goes for all of you as well." No stated, causing the candle Pokemon to hush instantly. "Go on, shoo. I won't have any of you harassing our guest either." she said. Following in the place of the other Pokemon, the Litwik bowed their heads and fazed through the walls as well, though a few formed a line and just scooted out the door one right after the other.

"Do those Pokemon live in the castle?" Okuni asked.

"They make nests wherever they feel like." No told her. "Though technically, no; they just flit about wherever they please. I allow them to take refuge in the castle because if they're here, it means they aren't elsewhere, pulling their practical jokes on unsuspecting farmers and shopkeepers."

"So where will they go now?"

"It's a big castle; they'll just go over to the next room."

"I hope that they don't start being mean to those poor little Litwik again." Okuni stated, setting her things down next to the futon in the room.

No glanced over at the dancer, a wary look on her face. "I wouldn't pity them if I were you, geisha. They are no better than the Gastly and Duskull." Mismagius nodded her head in agreement. "And they enjoy pranking humans even more than the others do. I'd sooner trust a Duskull to lead you in the right direction than a Litwik or a Lampent, should you come across one of them."

Before she and Mismagius left the room, No turned back to Okuni once more, to find that she was settling into the covers of the futon. "A few last things before I take my leave:" she said. "Don't leave anything valuable unguarded, or the Gastly will take them for themselves. If they or any of the others get a little out of control, all you have to do is show them a firm hand and they'll leave you be. There is a bathroom two doors down to your right, and my bed chambers are up the stairs to your left, down two corridors from the right. It'll be the doors at the very end of the hallway. And remember what I said about the Litwik and Duskull should you decide to go wandering." she smiled. "Pleasant dreams, geisha. I hope to see you in the morning."

As she closed the door and left, Okuni shivered and gulped down a large lump in her throat. 'I _hope_ to see you in the morning?' What did _that _mean?! She shook her head. It meant nothing! This was all a trick, Lady No had even said so! All this smoke and mirrors was just a defense for Spectra's freedom from being invaded by the other kingdoms. The Pokemon here were mischievous, but by no means malicious! What's the worst that could happen? She'd spend one restless night in this castle, and by tomorrow she'd be on her way with only the shadows of this place in her memories. And Lady No, in spite of everything Okuni had heard of her, seemed to be a decent enough woman. She was neither the demon or the angel that everyone always depicted her as, and that very real, very human quality of her, in earnest, was something that Okuni could certainly respect more than the two former choices. Although, Okuni would confess, she did find herself a little bit jealous. Any woman that beautiful and mysterious certainly would have no trouble with finding a man; by the Legendary Pokemon, she probably could have her choice of any man she so desired (and Okuni had a rough idea of who such a man may be. Well, that crossed Lord Nobunaga off the list of 'available'!) Yet if this was true, and to Okuni's eyes it certainly was so, then why was the castle barren of all but the Lady in question? Why did she not have the company of others? Was it self-imposed, or did others know something about the woman that Okuni did not to keep them away from her? She almost felt sorry for her. To be all alone in such a big, empty place all the time with no excitement, no companionship, who would ever wish that upon someone else.

"Why would anyone wish it upon _themselves_?" Okuni mused out loud.

"Litwik!"

"AAAHH!" Okuni gasped, sitting up and looking around. Her Pokemon, in the process of falling asleep as well, shot up and cowered behind her. Looking towards her things, Okuni noticed a little purple flame coming up from her bag. The flame moved around the bag, and revealed itself to be one of the Litwik. It looked up at her curiously, and she noticed that it had taken out a piece of poki from her bag and was nibbling on it.

"Ah, hello there!" Okuni said with a smile, "I don't know if you're supposed to be in here or not, but you're welcome to stay."

"Litwik!" the Pokemon agreed, before returning to its snack.

The dancer giggled. "I didn't know that Ghost Pokemon liked poki." she stated. Her own Pokemon, however, did not take the presence of the unwelcomed guest as well, and angrily came out from behind their human and were about to gang up on the little living candle, but Okuni gently held them back.

"Hey, now, you two!" she gently scolded, "don't gang up on the poor thing." Larvesta and Whirlipede nodded, and bowed their heads dejectedly. Okuni smiled.

"Why don't you two have some fun with those two Gastly instead." she said loudly, causing the two Ghost Pokemon that were sure enough behind her, about to sneak away with her umbrella, to startle and drop the object. Pleased with this compromise, Whirlipede and Larvesta sprung into action, and proceeded to beat the two Gastly to a pulp. They then returned to their warrior, who rewarded them with affectionate pats on their heads.

"Now that's more like it." she told them, before focusing back to their uninvited guest. "So you were just a distraction that the _real _thieves were using, huh?"

Litwik rubbed the back of its head with its tiny stubs of arms, and giggled in agreement with this accusation. Okuni shook her head.

"Well," she said. "No harm done, but I think you need to make it up to me, now." she stated. "How about you stay a while and give me some reading light, huh?"

The Litwik seemed a bit offended by the idea of being used as a common inanimate candle, but did not protest, as it crawled onto Okuni's shoulder, and bent over her as she read from the pages of her book of eligible warriors.

After a while, Okuni fell asleep with the book in her lap. She tossed and turned through nightmares of demons and ghosts chasing her. These nightmares attracted the real Ghosts to her, and they floated around her enjoying the negative energy coming off of her. One of them, a Haunter, thought of a fun prank to play on the girl, and its fellow ghosts laughed and happily agreed. Quickly, they clustered around her, and fazed her through the floor of her room, all the way to the basement of the castle. They then proceeded to float through the walls of the room they had put her in, watching from within the walls, waiting for her to wake up. After a while, she did wake up. As her mind went out of the state of sleep, she became aware of her surroundings, and realized that she was not in her room, and her Pokemon were nowhere in sight. Actually, there was nothing in sight, wherever she was. Panic was the first thing to go through her mind, but she knew better. No, she had to remain calm; this was probably just a prank that the Ghosts had pulled on her again. Still, it didn't make it any less troublesome.

From the corner of her eye, a light appeared suddenly, and underneath this light was a Litwik. Okuni sighed in relief. Well, maybe it could lead her out of here.

"Hey, Litwik!" she called, running up to it. The Pokemon noticed her, and waited for her to cross over to it. "Can you show me the way out of this room?" she asked. The Litwik nodded and turned, waddling over to a flight of stairs. Okuni sighed in relief and quickly ran towards what she assumed to be the exit. She remembered that Lady No had told her not to trust the Litwik to lead her in the right direction, but she would have to make an exception for the moment. All she had to do was find her room, and from there she would be fine. The Litwik led her back to the third floor, where her room was. From there, she ran off on her own, taking the path that Lady No had used to get to the room the first time. When she opened the door, it did not yield her room, but an empty closet. So she ran down a few corridors until she came to another stairway leading down. So she turned around and followed the same path again, this time arriving at the correct door that led to her room. And she knew this because when she opened the door, she found herself, sleeping underneath the futon with her Pokemon right next to her. Shocked, she went over to examine the 'other her'. When she tried to touch her face, she found that her hand faded right through her face. when she tried to call out to her Pokemon, they did not respond. When she looked at herself again, she called out to herself, but her other self did not awaken. As she looked down at the sleeping version of herself, she was terrified to find that she was not breathing, and that she was perfectly still. It was then that she allowed panic to take over, and she did the only other thing that she could think of to do.

She screamed, as loud as she could, and ran towards the staircase leading up to the fourth floor, two corridors down to the right, and straight to the doorway that led to Lady No's bedchamber. She banged on the door, calling out to the woman, terrified that she, too, could not see or hear her. To her relief, the Lady answered the door, and stared at Okuni with wide eyes. She was immediately rushed into the room before she could even begin to explain what was wrong, and was seated on the floor.

"This is not uncommon," No explained to her. "But it is also very difficult to undo unless we find the Ghosts that did this to you. By the look of it, I assume it was the doing of a Haunter or a Gengar, but we can't be sure."

"Are you saying I'll be stuck like this forever?!" Okuni cried, glaring down at her hands to find that she could see right through them.

"Well first, let's get an understanding of what _this_ is exactly, geisha." No said. "What's happening is that your spiritual self had manifested itself outside of your physical body. This is something that you could not possibly have done without the... well, _help, _for lack of better words, of the Ghost Pokemon."

"So how do we find the Pokemon that did this, and how do we put me back into my body?" she asked desperately.

"Therein lies the problem." No stated. "It could take forever to find the culprits behind this, and if and when we do, they may either deny doing it or even refuse to put you back because they think that it's funny."

"_How is this funny?!" _Okuni shouted, pointing at herself. She was close to tears now.

No came over and placed a hand on her shoulder, even though it would faze right through. Somehow, though, Okuni still felt it, and the gesture seemed to offer her some slight comfort. "Like I said before, they tend to take jokes a little too far. But they do not intend to hurt you, I promise." Okuni did not reply. What No was doing, defending the Pokemon that did this to her, it was admirable in a way, but Okuni could not condone such mercy at the moment. After a moment of silence between the two women, No spoke again.

"There may be a way that we could get around it, though. A shortcut, if you will."

Okuni looked up at this, her eyes bright with hope. "What is it?" she asked.

No stood, and turned around. "I must tell you, it is no easier than the first option, but it would guarantee you to return to your body. So tell me, what are you willing to surrender?"

"Anything but the lives of Whirlipede and Larvesta." Okuni stated. Lady No smirked, though the gesture went unnoticed by the dancer.

"Would you be willing to surrender your travels?"

"...Yes."

No allowed the predatory grim to remain a moment longer before turning back to Okuni, with a stone face once more. "Then I believe I can offer you a way out."

"Why must I sacrifice my travels."

"Because in order to get around this curse, you must sign a blood oath. It's similar to a bank; but instead of entrusting someone else with your money, you would be entrusting someone else with your life."

There was a moment of pause, where No gave Okuni a moment to process what she had just told her before continuing. "Are you familiar with the old phrase 'blood is thicker than water, geisha?' Well, ghosts have their own set of rules and laws that they must follow. And anything that is sanctified in blood they must abide by. Therefore, if you sign the right to yourself over to someone else in blood, then the ghosts must return you to your body, because the blood oath would consider it an act of thievery against the owner of your soul."

"And what happens if they do not return me?" Okuni asked.

"It is impossible for them not to. Should you sign the contract, you will be instantly brought back to your body, regardless of the will of the Ghosts that took you out. But like I said, I will not force you into this. A blood oath is a serious business. You cannot break it once it has been forged."

Okuni thought about it for a moment. "What exactly would the oath consist of?" she asked.

"You would be signing the right to your soul, in the form of your name, into my possession. I will have power over you until a fixed amount of time."

"'Fixed?'"

"Yes; I cannot release you from this contract for at least six-hundred and sixty-six days after the contract is forged. if after that time you have fulfilled your blood oath to me, I alone will have the power to annul it and set you free. But until such a time, you could not leave Spectra without my consent. So, if you have any doubts, speak them now, for once you sign your name in blood, you cannot take back your oath."

Okuni gulped. This was indeed _serious_ business she was meddling with. She would be signing away her freedom, ultimately selling her soul to the devil. 666 days... that would be a year and ten months she would be forced to stay in Spectra, in service to No. But what choice did she have? No was right; it could take them forever to find the Ghosts that did this to her, _if _they ever found them. And by that time, would it be too late? Was it already too late? It was rash and reckless of her, but she had no time to waste on thinking. One year, ten months. She was still young; by the time she would be released from the oath she would still only be seventeen. That would still be plenty of time to travel the country, to find a boyfriend. It wasn't so bad.

"If there is no other option, I'll do it." she said.

No smiled. "Your courage is admirable, geisha. This is no small task you are about to undergo."

"Like I said, it is the only option I have." Okuni said, biting back tears. "Now what must we do?"

"The details of our contract must be written in paper, and you shall sign your name in blood."

No took out a pen, ink and parchment from a chest in her room, and walked over to the table where Okuni was sat. She began to write out the contract, with Okuni looking over her shoulder at what the woman wrote. According to the contract, Okuni was knowing and willingly offering up her life to the service of Lady No. Only Lady No had the power to annul the contract, unless in the event that Okuni was ordered to serve another, at which time the power to cancel the contract would fall to that individual as well. Okuni was required to remain under blood oath to Lady No for a minimum of 666 days. If at any time one of the parties was in violation of the oath, then they would be punished with death. Considering the dark forces at work when dealing with such businesses, Okuni completely believed that instant death was a possibility here. When the contract was written up, all that was left was for Okuni to sign her name in her blood at the end of the sheet. Since she was currently having an out of body experience, they returned to her room. For the first time, Okuni was grateful for her detachment from her body as Lady No pricked her hand's index finger with a pin, and a small dot of blood formed at the tip of it. Okuni wasn't afraid of blood, but she had a low tolerance of pain of any sort, and that small prick would most likely have been painful had she been in her body. Bringing the girl's bleeding finger up to the contract, Lady No began to write the kanji that made up Okuni's name.

"Does this count as me signing the oath?" Okuni asked, worried that whatever demon was overseeing this negotiation may not accept it.

"Yes; all that is needed is your blood and your name. That is enough to prove your consent in the matter."

"But anyone could have forged my name." Okuni stated.

"That is why I told you not to speak your name to anyone, geisha. I daresay that none of this would have happened in the first place if you hadn't given those ghosts your name."

Okuni blinked. "I never gave them my name."

No turned from her work to look at the girl, a small half-smile upon her face. "Are you sure?"

Okuni paused, but firmly protested. "Yes, I'm sure! The only person I gave my name to was you, Lady No, I swear."

The grin on No's face grew, returning to the predator's smirk that suited her oh-so well. "Then how did the ghosts get it?"

"...I don't follow." Okuni confessed.

"In order for a ghost to cast a curse on someone such as detaching a person's spirit from their body, they have to have the person's name. But if you didn't give them your name, then the only logical explanation of where they could have acquired it from would have to have been from..." she paused, hoping the girl would catch on.

Sure enough, mere seconds later, Okuni's eyes widened, her eyes as large as ponigiri in shock, terror, and even a little bit of anger. "..._you._" she whispered.

The grin only grew. "Clever girl." the beautiful warlord praised. "I _did _warn you that a name was a powerful thing, did I not?"

"But by that point it was too late to take it back from _you_!" Okuni spat, hatred filling her eyes. "What was the point of all this?!"

No remained composed. "For a warrior of such promise to come to Spectra, I cannot allow such an opportunity to walk away. No, you should be at my side, fighting for my kingdom, my army."

"You could've just asked." Okuni said, glaring up at the woman in disgust.

"And can you honestly tell me that you would have said yes?" No shot back. This silenced Okuni.

"I've lost far too many potential allies doing things the 'nice' way. A great woman once said that all the world can be yours for the taking so long as you take all the world for yourself. That woman may be dead now, but she had indeed ruled the land at one point in her life, and I plan to do the same. Once I build up my army, I will once more revel in the pleasures of the battlefield."

"You're absolutely insane!" Okuni exclaimed.

"Oh, so you noticed." No said in near glee. "I was worried that I was being too subtle." She took note of Okuni's glower. "Don't look so angry, geisha. Like I said, it took courage to agree to this position. You should be proud to go from a lowly travelling street entertainer to such a place of honor."

"What position?" Okuni growled.

"Why, the position of my junior warlord, of course. Be grateful, geisha, that I am someone who is able to see the value in those that would otherwise be worthless."

"_Stop calling me that!" _Okuni snapped, her anger at her height.

"I'm sorry, my dear, but your name is now my property, and I'm not about to let anyone else have power over you." As she said this, she wrote down the last character of the girl's name, and Okuni felt herself literally merging with her body once more. She stirred, as though she had just woken up from a dream, or more accurately a nightmare. She felt distant and groggy, yet she was able to make out something that Lady No was saying clearly, even though the woman's sultry voice sounded distant.

"Don't cry, geisha."

Sure enough, Okuni was able to feel tears running down her cheeks. These tears were quickly brushed away by No's hand.

"Do not look upon this so badly. I guarantee that by the end of this year, you won't ever want to leave Spectra anyway. And who knows? We may even grow to be friends. You'll see."

What Lady No said, as fate would have it, _did _have some merit to it. Okuni, although against her will, served Lady No for well into three years, from the time that Lady No willing joined forces with Nobunaga to aid him in his ambitions for conquest over all of Ransei, to the very end of this period, when the warlord twins from Aurora put an end to Nobunaga's ambitions by taking all of Ransei for themselves. Somehow, in this span of time, they developed a sort of almost friendship with one another. Yes, Okuni never did fully forgive No for imprisoning her for all of eternity, but it was no different than never forgiving a friend for ruining your favorite outfit. Yes the two things were hardly comparable in the way of their levels of severity, but Okuni responded to the matter in a similar way. After all, Lady No had been fair to her situation, even though she was the one responsible for it. She frequently set Okuni up on blind dates with various men that she would meet while visiting with her fellow warlords. And they weren't ugly or creepy guys, either! They were handsome and charismatic, and Okuni could easily say that she loved nearly all of the blind dates that No set her up with. The older woman also went out of her way to learn how to cook Okuni's favorite foods, and would buy Okuni nice clothing and jewelry whenever they went out together. The two would gossip and people watch whenever they were out together. Both enjoyed giving each other makeovers and dressing the other up in various outfits. Eventually, No introduced Okuni to the other warlords in Ransei (namely the male ones), though when Okuni asked if she could set up a date with a few of them, No would roll her eyes and pull her away by the ear as though she were some common fangirl. In a way, the woman became almost like an older sister figure to Okuni. If anything, her actions reinforced what Okuni had wondered since the first night that she met the woman: she was alone, and she desperately longed for a human companion. And this is what Okuni more-or-less became to her, though No never did deny nor confirm these suspicions. And when it came time for Okuni to finally part ways with the woman, she wasn't entirely sure that she'd be able to. Some parts of her were still very much a mystery, even in all the time that Okuni had known her, and if there was one thing that the geisha enjoyed, it was exploring unknown territory.

* * *

Admit it, the scariest part for you was that long paragraph in the center of the chapter! :3

This is my interpretation of why Okuni is No's junior warlord. It's dark, depressing, and just so typical of No to do something like this. So I wrote it. Actually, I got a lot of inspiration from this chapter from a quote from _The Phantom of the Opera_: "Fear can turn to love." I personally do not agree with this quote, but I agreed that it certainly fit for what I was trying to accomplish. Okuni doesn't seem the type to hold a grudge, and she seems okay with where she is in the game. That is to say, she appears happy to be in Spectra and with Lady No. But the fact that she had to ask No's permission to return to her travels struck me as odd. And even in her story mode, she's still serving No even though she had mentioned travelling. Looking at No's desire to dominate over others, all these things accumulated into one idea.

Overall, I'm proud of how this turned out, especially since I was suffering from a lot of roadblocks along the way. My one concern is the transitioning from one scene to the next, and some of the dialogue. Does anyone feel like it doesn't flow, or it's even choppy? If you think so, then I'd really appreciate being told so. That way, I'll be able to improve with the next chapter.

This wasn't meant to be a NoxOkuni oneshot, but if you want to interpret it as such, then by all means. I'm not stopping you. Actually, I'm going to have No be bisexual in here. Whether or not I do anything with that, however, I don't know. Her main love interest will probably be Nobunaga, but I'm neutral to their relationship, so once again, I'm not going to officially pair her up with him just because it's canon. Same with Okuni. Magoichi and Okuni might be funny, just because of the fact that Magoichi likes to flirt with girls, and Okuni likes to flirt with guys, but it would only be a one chapter kind of thing, and I wouldn't try to build it up over the course of the fic as I'll do with, say, Aya and Kanetsugu.

That's all I have to say for now. And the usual offer still stands for all of these chapters. You want me to draw a scene from this story, somehow get in touch with me, and I'll draw you that scene and post it on my DeviantART account. things have been kind of slow with my artwork lately, so it wouldn't be a nuissance to me.

R&R at your leisure!


End file.
